Russian airframer Irkut has moved the first MC-21-300 to the flight-test division of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant in preparation for first flight. Engineers have checked aircraft systems, performed ground starts of major and auxiliary power units and taxied the airplane at the plant’s airfield.

Reaching the taxi test milestone means United Aircraft subsidiary Irkut should manage to ready the airplane for first flight in a matter of weeks, rather than months or years, as the company approaches the first anniversary of the airplane’s rollout in the Siberian city of Irkutsk last June 8. At the time officials eyed Russian certification in 2018, although earlier plans to fly the airplane by the end of last year appeared dashed. During the rollout ceremony Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev referenced plans for first flight “within a year,” and UAC officials acknowledged that the previously quoted target might prove too optimistic. A UAC spokesman told AIN February 2017 appeared more realistic, but since then virtually all went quiet at Irkut until Monday’s announcement.

Powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G geared turbofans, the MC-21 features the widest fuselage of any narrowbody on the market, promising cabin comfort for full-service airlines and cost advantages for low-fare carriers, according to UAC and Irkut. The MC-21’s list price of $91 million suggests a 15-percent lower acquisition cost than that of the current A320.

Irkut claims that either the PW1400G or a Russian engine alternative—namely, the Aviadvigatel PD-14 now undergoing a second round of testing aboard an Ilyushin Il-76 flying testbed—will produce a 15-percent operating cost advantage over the current Airbus A320. Apart from the engines, the MC-21’s most radical advance centers on its carbon fiber wings, which take the airplane’s composite content to 30 percent. AeroComposit in Ulyanovsk, Russia, builds the wings using an out-of-autoclave resin transfer infusion process never before tried on a commercial aircraft. Both Airbus and Boeing use a more expensive process that requires an autoclave to cure their composite wings on the A350 and 787, respectively. Both of the MC-21’s chief competitors—the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320–use metal wings.

Still, UAC president Yury Slyusar acknowledged the difficulty the MC-21 will encounter competing against the Western duopoly, whose well established support networks and long history of sales to airlines around the world Irkut can only hope to one day match. “We do understand that it will not be easy,” he said. “But we are sure that the MC-21 is really nowadays the most competitive aircraft in its class. And that’s why we believe this aircraft will meet the demands of passengers, airlines and so on—due to its innovation, such as engines, such as avionics, such as composite wings.”

While UAC’s definitive plans call for that innovation to extend to the smaller, 150-seat MC-21-200, Slyusar suggested the company has seriously revisited prospects for a larger version airplane in the form of the MC-21-400. At the time of the rollout Slyusar said discussions on the larger variant could start in 2017, but that any decision would depend on what competition ultimately exists in the segment of the market the MC-21 would occupy, or the so-called “Middle of the Market (MOM).”

“We should take into consideration the plans of our colleagues; that’s why we [plan to] make a decision rationally,” he said.

In terms of production capacity, Irkut claims it could build as many as 72 aircraft a year in its newly refurbished and modernized final assembly hall in Irkustk. While the company’s need–or ability–to deliver six airplanes per month won’t likely materialize for several years, the production plan satisfies the company’s projected demand for 1,060 MC-21s over the next two decades. Slyusar, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with the early level of commercial interest in the product: so far the MC-21 has drawn firm orders for nearly 200 airplanes, including 50 from launch customer Aeroflot. Holding a firm order for six MC-21-300s, Egypt’s Cairo Aviation stands as the only confirmed non-Russian customer for the airplane. Malaysia’s Crecom Burj Resources placed a tentative order for 50 airplanes at Farnborough 2010 that has yet to become firm.