Russia to replace old passenger planes with newly designed aircraft

Aircraft of the MS-21 family, that were designed by the aircraft designing companies Ilyushin and Yakovlev, have won a tender on creating short and medium-long range planes. The tender was held by the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos. MS-21s will be manufactured in accordance with international standards and they are to replace passenger aircraft Tu-154Ms and Yak-42s, Alexander Smirnov, the deputy head of the civil aviation development department of Rosaviakosmos, told RBC.

Investments attracted on a commercial basis will be the main source of financing this program. This project will be included on the federal target program on developing civil aircraft in Russia in the period from 2002 to 2015. The total volume of investments in the project on creating the MS-21 aircraft family will amount to 15bn rubles (about $500m), Smirnov added.