A new player on the block “The MC-21 aircraft sets a new standard for the comfort of single-aisle aircraft”

The Irkut Corporation, which oversaw first flight of the MC-21300 aircraft in May 2017, expects to gain a foothold in the global aviation market. “The new airliner, which will be delivered to customers in 2019-2020, has a number of advantages in comparison with its competitors.” These include, in particular, an ‘increased level of comfort for passengers’ by increasing the width of the passenger compartment. Irkut’s representative further stated: “It is generally considered that single-aisle aircraft have a fuselage width of not more than four metres (13 feet). The MC-21, like its competitors, will have a single aisle and six passenger seats in each row. But the width of the fuselage MC- 21 will go beyond four metres, to give the aircraft the most spacious cabin among all the airliners in its class. As a result, volume of personal space for each passenger, in the MS-21 will be like widebodied airliners. “

“New features are attractive not only for passengers. The increased fuselage width allows adapting the aircraft to the requirements of customers specialising in different types of air transportation. Depending on the needs, airlines can choose the optimal configuration of the passenger compartment: wider and more comfortable chairs or an enlarged passage in which the passenger can easily share with the service trolley”, state officials. “The latter option is attractive for low-cost carriers, seeking to reduce the time of their being on-ground at airports. Experiments conducted by Irkut show that the speed of disembarkation and boarding of passengers increases by 30%, which saved minutes transform into additional revenues, which, according to calculations, can amount to 4 million euros per year”.

Thanks to the wide fuselage of 19-25%, compared to competitors, the capacity of luggage shelves has also increased. A significant contribution to improving the comfort of passengers, especially children and the elderly, will be achieved by the pressure maintained inside the cabin. The MC- 21s will correspond to height of 1800 m above sea level, a similar figure is attributed normally to wide-body aircraft, “while in the cabin of existing narrowbodied airplanes, the pressure inside the cabin corresponds to 2400 m. Other pleasant innovations are the portholes, the largest in its class and the ability to create artificial lighting of various colour shades”, officials state.

In an effort to maintain the highest standards of comfort, Irkut has cooperated with leading Western companies, in particular Zodiac Aerospace which has become the main partner for the MC-21 programme and its interiors.