Aeroflot nears deal for 90 more Yakovlev MS-21 jets

Aeroflot is close to finalising a deal for 90 additional Yakovlev MS-21 aircraft, the airline's chief executive, Sergei Alexandrovsky, said. The Russian carrier already has 18 of the jets on order.

If the new agreement goes through, Aeroflot expects to have taken delivery of 108 MS-21 aircraft in total by 2030.

Vadim Badekha, head of the United Aircraft Corporation, which builds the jet, said the terms of the 90-aircraft deal have already been worked out. Financing, however, is still unresolved, he said.

The MS-21 is a medium-range narrowbody jet that has been redesigned to run on fully Russian-made systems, according to the manufacturer. The programme once relied on some Western components, but sanctions pushed a shift toward domestic suppliers.

No timeline was given for when the contract might be formally signed. Neither Aeroflot nor UAC gave a value for the deal.