MC-21-310 certification testing less than halfway done, Russian regulator says

Russia's federal air transport regulator, Rosaviatsia, says the Yakovlev MC-21-310 has finished 115 of the 301 flights required to certify the twinjet, leaving more than half of the test programme still to be flown. The figures were given after discussions held through a co-ordination centre run by the Russian government.

The narrower SJ-100 is closer to the end of its campaign, with 233 of 294 flights logged, roughly 80% of the total. Rosaviatsia chief Dmitry Yadrov said it mattered that certification deadlines be met as closely as possible and that risks of delay be kept to a minimum, adding that the industry and passengers were waiting for the aircraft.

Aeroflot Group, which placed an order for 90 more of the type in September, is due to receive a first batch next year.

Manufacturers updated the regulator on certification work during the talks. Rosaviatsia said the Ilyushin Il-114-300, approved earlier this year, is being cleared for a wider range of operations.

In recent days the authority issued ten component certificates for the SJ-100, covering installations that include the sidestick and engine control assembly as well as flight control surfaces and spoilers.

Testing of the SJ-100 has recently taken place in Novosibirsk, where the navigation computer and the accuracy of position data derived from VOR/DME and radio systems were assessed, Rosaviatsia said. Autopilot certification tests for the twinjet were also carried out at Minsk airport in Belarus.