Russia's Irkut rolls out MS-21 passenger jet

Russian aircraft maker Irkut Corp. on Wednesday rolled out MS-21-300 airliners and said orders for the aircraft have reached 175 sets.

Aeroflot, the largest Russian airline, will be the first to apply the MS-21-300 aircraft, Xinhua news agency cited it as saying.

The first flight of an MS-21-300 will be between December 2016 and February 2017, while the first delivery is expected at the end of 2018, according to the company.

Before the roll-out ceremony, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev congratulated the aircraft maker and hoped that "after the launch of the aircraft, the orders will increase".

The MS-21 is a Russian twin-engine short-and mid-range airliner with a capacity for 150-212 passengers.

--IANS

py/vt