Russia on Wednesday presented a new medium-range passenger plane that state media said was superior to its Western-made counterparts in many respects and would be snapped up by both Russian and foreign carriers.
In a glitzy ceremony at a factory in Siberia attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Irkut Corporation rolled out its new MS-21 passenger plane, which is still undergoing testing but is due to enter serial production next year.
Medvedev hailed the new twin-engine short and medium-range aircraft as "cool," saying it was important that Russia remained in what he called the top league of aircraft makers despite the high costs involved.