Foreign manufacturers have refused to supply components for Russia’s domestically-built MC-21 aircraft, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said.
According to the minister, the nation’s state-run United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) will put into operation two MC-21 aircraft instead of the previously planned four. The delivery of the jets is planned for 2024.
“Supplies of components agreed under the framework of our broad international cooperation were denied,” Manturov said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
The minister added that foreign producers have refused to ship even prepaid orders without providing any reason.
The Irkut MC-21 is the first narrow-body, medium-haul passenger jet designed and built in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Conceived in the late 2000s, the plane is set to fill the niche that once belonged to the iconic Tu-154.
Western nations have introduced a wide range of sanctions on Russia that target the aviation sectors of the economy, among others. The penalties imposed over the conflict in Ukraine ban the export of aviation and space-related products and technology, including technical assistance to Russia.
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