Witnesses have posted a few recordings on Youtube. One of the videos shows the plane fly above the audience, which welcomed it with applauses.

"The plane was successful," the source said, refusing from further comments.

IRKUTSK, May 28. /TASS/. MC-21 short-and medium-haul passenger plane made the first flight in Irkutsk, a source at the Irkutsk aviation plant (the Irkut Corporation) told TASS on Sunday.

The Irkut Corporation, which designed the new airliner, is part of the United Aircraft Corporation.

The MC-21 is the family of short-and medium-haul narrow-body airliners intended to replace Tupolev Tu-134 and Tu-154 planes and also their Western rivals.

In Russia’s new history, only one airliner, the regional Sukhoi Superjet 100, has been manufactured from scratch. The plane performed the first flight in 2008 and was made operational in 2011.

The MC-21 has a flight range of 6,400 kilometers (3,977 miles), while the Sukhoi Superjet 100 can fly at a distance of 4,578 kilometers (2,845 miles).

The MC-21 will be able to carry 211 passengers, while the Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner’s seating capacity is 108.

The first flight of the MC-21 airliner was scheduled for December 2016 and its serial assembly was planned to begin in 2017. Later, the first flight was postponed to April and then to late May.

The current portfolio of orders for MC-21 is 285 airliners, 185 of which have been contracted on prepayment. The first client is Russia’s Aeroflot, which plans to have 50 MC-21 in its fleet. In April, the company’s director general, Vitaly Savelyev, said they expect first three airliners in 2019.</s>MC-21 short- and medium-haul passenger plane made the first flight in Irkutsk, a source at the Irkutsk aviation plant (the Irkut Corporation) told TASS on May 28.

"The plane was successful," the source said, refusing from further comments.

Witnesses have posted a few recordings on Youtube.

The MC-21 is the family of short- and medium-haul narrow-body airliners intended to replace Tupolev Tu-134 and Tu-154 planes.

The MC-21 has a flight range of 6,400 kilometers (3,977 miles), it will be able to carry 211 passengers.

The first flight of the MC-21 airliner was scheduled for December 2016 and its serial assembly was planned to begin in 2017. Later, the first flight was postponed to April and then to late May.

The current portfolio of orders for MC-21 is 285 airliners, 185 of which have been contracted on prepayment. The first client is Russia’s Aeroflot, which plans to have 50 MC-21 in its fleet. In April, the company’s director general, Vitaly Savelyev, said they expect first three airliners in 2019.</s>Russia's first large airliner since the fall of the Soviet Union made its maiden flight Sunday.

The Irkut MC-21 is designed to compete with the most popular airliners in the world, the single-aisle Boeing (BA) 737 and Airbus (EADSF) A320.

The prototype took flight Sunday morning from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant airfield in Siberia, about 2,600 miles east of Moscow. During the 30-minute flight, the plane reached an altitude of 1,000 meters (roughly 3,300 feet).

Oleg Kononenko, the flight's lead test pilot, reported that the aircraft operated normally.

The MC-21's maiden flight was notably shorter than that of its Chinese competitor and other similar aircraft, which have typically flown for an hour or longer and at a higher altitude.

The flight comes ahead of the Paris Air Show, which starts June 18. Irkut hasn't yet said whether the jet will be ready in time to make its international debut at the event.

The Russian aircraft's debut is the latest in a series of aviation firsts in 2017. The unusually busy year has featured a parade of maiden flights by new models from airplane makers around the world.

Related: The world's new planes in 2017

China's new challenge to Boeing and Airbus, the Comac C919, made its first flight on May 5.

But while Russia is pushing the MC-21 with airlines around the world as a way to increase its non-military aerospace exports, Comac has shown less interest in selling the C919 overseas.

Russia's commercial aerospace industry has struggled over the past quarter century to regain the strength it had during the Soviet era. Through projects backed by President Vladimir Putin, it has sought to shed its reputation for advanced, but unreliable, passenger aircraft.

The country last week formalized a partnership with China to made a long-range twin-aisle airliner to compete with Boeing and Airbus.

Related: China and Russia are coming for Boeing and Airbus

The MC-21 is expected to start flying passengers in 2019 after it completes testing.

Russian airline Aeroflot will be the first to fly the new jetliner. The state-run carrier has relied heavily on Airbus and Boeing jets as part of its modernization, but Russian policy has encouraged the introduction of homegrown models, like the MC-21.

Irkut says the MC-21, which seats 163 passengers in two classes, will be 12% to 15% less expensive to operate than its Western counterparts. The manufacturer has taken 175 orders for the jet, which has a range of about 3,500 nautical miles or 6,400 kilometers.

Irkut is an arm of the Russian state-owned aerospace conglomerate United Aircraft Corporation, which supplies the country's airborne military hardware.

Like the Chinese C919, the MC-21 has used many Western aerospace suppliers.

The jet took the sky on Sunday powered by two U.S.-made Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines, which are also used by Airbus, Canada's Bombardier and Brazil's Embraer.

Russia is developing a new engine of its own for the MC-21.

While the Russian aerospace industry has lagged U.S. and European companies, Airbus and Boeing are closely watching the new jet's progress.

The MC-21 is packed with advanced carbon fiber technology and flight controls that haven't yet made their way to Boeing and Airbus aircraft.</s>Russia’s entry into the most fiercely-contested area of the commercial airliner market, the single-aisle sector dominated by Airbus and Boeing, made its first flight May 28.

Without prior notice, Irkut’s MC-21-300 took off from Irkutsk Aviation Plant for a 30-minute sortie, flying at an altitude of 1,000 meters, at 300 km/hr. As is traditional with first flights, the aircraft’s undercarriage remained down throughout the flight.

Irkut said the flight plan included checking of in-flight stability and controllability both of the aircraft as a whole and of its Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engine.

During the flight a simulated landing approach was performed, followed by a flight over the runway, climbing and turning.

The aircraft was piloted by crew commander Oleg Kononenko, and co-pilot Roman Taskayev.

“Flight mission is accomplished. The flight went in the normal mode. There are no obstacles revealed preventing the tests continuation,” Kononenko reported on his return.

Taskayev added that the ''characteristics and operational modes of the power plant are confirmed, all aircraft systems operated without glitches.''

Irkut Corp.president Oleg Demchenko described the first flight as an “historic day” for the team behind the aircraft, which was rolled out almost exactly a year ago.

The MC-21-300 will carry between163-211 passengers in a six-abreast economy cabin and four-abreast business section.

Its builders say that having the widest fuselage diameter in its category will give passengers new levels of ‘living space’, as well as making it easier for crews to operate service trolleys during flight, with the wider aisle also helping shorten airport turnrounds.

Among advanced construction techniques, the MC-21-300 has a wing made of polymer composites that is cured in an oven, rather than the more normal autoclave, a world first for an airliner and a path that considerably reduces costs. Composites make up more than 30% of the total aircraft design.

The aircraft is being offered with a choice of engines – P&W’s PW1400G or Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation’s PD-14.

Irkut says the aircraft will have direct operational costs that will be 12%-15% lower than its competitors. The company has 175 firm orders for the type so far.

The MC-21-300 was rolled out on June 8, 2016. The aircraft type is available in two versions—the -200 and -300—which seat 132 and 163, respectively, in a standard two-class layout, or a 165 and 211 in high-capacity configuration.

Several international companies—including Thales, Honeywell, Goodrich and Zodiac Aerospace—have been chosen as component suppliers for the MC-21.</s>The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) said on Wednesday the maiden flight for the C919, China's first domestically-produced large passenger plane, is scheduled for May 5.

The maiden flight will take place in the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, subject to weather conditions, COMAC said. State media agency Xinhua earlier on Wednesday reported the maiden flight's date.

Reuters, quoting sources, had reported last month that China planned to stage the maiden C919 flight on or around May 5.</s>Sunday saw the maiden flight of a state-of-the-art passenger plane, Russia's MC-21, according to the country's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.

He published photos of the jet in the air on his Twitter page, writing "We are flying."

The MC-21 is a twin-engine short-and mid-range airliner with a capacity of 150-212 passengers. The presentation of the aircraft took place in June 2016 in the Russian city of Irkutsk.

In January, Rogozin announced that the tests of the new aircraft would start at the beginning of spring.

On May 25, he said that there were currently 185 standing orders for the aircraft.

Meanwhile, many photos and videos of the MC-21's maiden flight have been published by the employees of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.

This amateur video also shows the MC-21 making its first flight on May 28.

"Pride, tears of happiness and emotions overflow! The Irkutsk Aviation Plant did it; well done, everybody! Together we are strong, looking forward to flying," Anastasiya Syshchenko wrote in her Instagram account.

"Hurray comrades, hail the maiden flight of our MC-21! To say the least, I'm brimming with pride and joy," read the Instagram remark of another Irkutsk Aviation Plant employee Maria Zimina.

Tatyana Petrova was very brief, just writing "the maiden flight" in her Instagram account.

UAC subsidiary Irkut Corporation is betting big with the MC-21, its newest airliner. The hope is that the aircraft will be competing directly against the Boeing-737 and the Airbus A-320 in the most capacious segment of the global commercial aviation market: mid-range travel.

Russian observers expect the MC-21 to fare well against the US and European heavyweights.

The MC-21 is designed to be faster, more efficient, and less expensive than its Western counterparts, having incorporated the latest in the fields of aircraft construction, engine technology and avionics systems in its design.

Furthermore, the plane's cost per unit is expected to run somewhere in the neighborhood of $72-$85 million US, depending on the given modification. 

Its Western analogues, by contrast, can run tens of millions more in their base price.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!</s>Russia surprised the aviation world on May 28 with the maiden flight of its new MS-21 medium-range passenger plane, creating a rival for its Western competitors with its first post-Soviet mainstream commercial airliner.

 

 Unlike the plane’s roll-out from the assembly line earlier in May, manufacturer Irkut Corporation and its state-controlled parent company United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) did not announce the 30-minute test flight of an MS-21-300 model ahead of time.

 

 The aircraft’s maiden flight was first reported by witnesses on social media and later confirmed by Vice Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in a Facebook post.

"We’re flying," he wrote, attaching several photos to his message.



 

 The Russian test flight comes less than a month after China staged the maiden flight of its C919 passenger jet as competition to Boeing and Airbus grows.

Based on reporting by Reuters and RT</s>Russia completed the maiden flight of its new MS-21 medium range passenger plane on Sunday.</s>Russia carried out the maiden flight of its new MS-21 medium-range passenger aircraft on Sunday, its first post-Soviet foray into production of a mainline commercial aircraft which it hopes will rival those of its western competitors.

In a surprise statement, manufacturer Irkut Corporation and its state-controlled parent company United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said an MS-21-300 model had successfully completed a 30-minute flight at a height of 1,000m and travelling at 300km/h.

Squeezed by western sanctions over its role in the Ukraine crisis, Russia is trying to rejuvenate domestic industrial production to make the country less dependant on foreign firms.

The test flight, which was not announced to the media beforehand, comes just three weeks after China staged the maiden flight of its new C919 passenger jet, highlighting the growing competition to industry heavyweights Boeing and Airbus.

Russian officials have said the MS-21 is superior to its western-made counterparts in many respects and will be snapped up by both Russian and foreign carriers, but western analysts say both Russia and China face a huge challenge to shatter the transatlantic aircraft duopoly.

“The flight mission has been completed. The flight was fine, there were no observations which will prevent further testing,” test pilot Oleg Kononenko was quoted as saying.

Western aviation sources however expressed surprise at the flight’s brevity and relatively low altitude compared with recent three- to four-hour debuts of North American and European models.

“It suggests they either have severe limitations or may have had something happen and decided to come back,” said a western flight test engineer, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A UAC spokesman said the flight had been long enough to test everything that needed to be checked in the air.

Russia has fought hard to shake off its Soviet reputation for old and creaking aircraft flown by inexperienced crews.

Flag carrier Aeroflot last year earned its fourth star from independent ratings website Skytrax, ranking it alongside major European and Middle Eastern competitors and ahead of big US carriers such as Delta and United.

President Vladimir Putin called Irkut general director Oleg Demchenko to congratulate him and his employees with what the Kremlin called “a significant event”.

The twin-engined MS-21 will be built in two variants: the MS-21-300, which will have 160-211 seats; and the later MS-21-200, which will have 130-165 seats. It is sometimes referred to as the MC-21 when using the Russian name and Cyrillic letters.

Production is expected to start in the next two years and state media has said numerous contracts with domestic and foreign carriers have already been agreed. Irkut said it so far had “firm orders” for 175 aircraft.

America’s Boeing and Europe’s Airbus remain far ahead of their Chinese and Russian rivals, with bigger sales books and more advanced technical know-how.

But the new aircraft could win sales in Russia and some eastern European and Asian countries, industry analysts say, with buyers attracted by its lower running costs.

With a range of up to 6,000km, the MS-21 will be competing against the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft which currently dominate the medium-range narrow-body market. Both companies recently upgraded those families to achieve comparable 15 per cent operational savings compared to previous versions. – (Reuters)</s>Moscow: Russia completed the maiden flight of its new MS-21 medium-range passenger plane on Sunday, its first post-Soviet foray into production of a mainline commercial aircraft which it hopes will rival those of its Western competitors.

In a surprise statement, manufacturer Irkut Corporation and its state-controlled parent company United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said an MS-21-300 model had successfully completed a 30-minute flight at a height of 1,000 metres and travelling at 300 km an hour.

Squeezed by Western sanctions over its role in the Ukraine crisis, Russia is trying to rejuvenate domestic industrial production to make the country less dependant on foreign firms.

The test flight, which was not announced to media beforehand, comes just three weeks after China staged the maiden flight of its new C919 passenger jet, highlighting the growing competition to industry heavyweights Boeing and Airbus.

Russian officials have said the MS-21 is superior to its Western-made counterparts in many respects and will be snapped up by both Russian and foreign carriers, but Western analysts says both Russia and China face a huge challenge to shatter the transatlantic airplane duopoly. [nL8N19052L]

"The flight mission has been completed. The flight was fine, there were no observations which will prevent further testing," test pilot Oleg Kononenko was quoted as saying.

Russia has fought hard to shake its Soviet reputation for old and creaking aircraft flown by inexperienced crews. Flag carrier Aeroflot last year earned its fourth star from independent ratings website Skytrax, ranking it alongside major European and Middle Eastern competitors and ahead of big US carriers such as Delta and United.

President Vladimir Putin called Irkut General Director Oleg Demchenko to congratulate him and his employees with what the Kremlin called "a significant event".

The twin-engine MS-21 will be built in two variants: the later MS-21-300 which will have 160-211 seats, and the later MS-21-200 which will have 130-165 seats. It is sometimes referred to as the MC-21 when using the Russian name and Cyrillic letters.

Production is expected to start in the next two years and state media have said numerous contracts with domestic and foreign carriers have already been agreed. Irkut said it so far had "firm orders" for 175 planes.

America's Boeing and Europe's Airbus remain far ahead of their Chinese and Russian rivals, with bigger sales books and more advanced technical know-how.

But the new plane could win sales in Russia and some eastern European and Asian countries, industry analysts say, with buyers attracted by its lower running costs. Irkut said operational costs for its new plane will be up to 15 percent cheaper than current generation aircraft.

With a range of up to 6,000 kilometres, the MS-21 will be competing against the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft which currently dominate the medium-range narrow-body market. Both companies recently upgraded those families to achieve 15 percent operational savings compared to previous versions.

State defence conglomerate Rostec, which is headed by close Putin ally Sergei Chemezov, said it had agreed to purchase 85 aircraft. At least 50 of them will be leased to Aeroflot, Rostec said, which currently operates a fleet dominated by narrow-body Airbus models, including 70 A320s.

UAC President Yury Slyusar said he estimated global demand for the new MS-21 models at around 15,000 aircraft over the next 20 years. "I'm sure the airlines will appreciate our new aircraft," he said.

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The Russian Irkut MC-21 airliner makes its maiden flight.