Irkut MC-21-300 analysis, Part 3

By Bjorn Fehrm

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Introduction

August04, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: With the classification of the Irkut MC-21-300 done in terms of its size segment (it's close to the Boeing 737 MAX 9 in size) and the key data of the aircraft analyzed, it's now time to look at aircraft efficiency and payload-range performance.

MC-21_on_the_assembly_line_at_Irkut

Figure 1. MC-21-300 prototype on the final assembly line. Source: Irkut

We will do this with two cabin configurations for the aircraft. The first will be the nominal two class seating as proposed by the OEMs. For the second, we use a single class layout with 30-inch seat pitch.

Summary:

  • The MC-21 has problems to compete with the re-engined 737 MAX 9 in terms of efficiency when using the standard two class cabins.
  • When we switch to a single class high density layout, the fuel efficiency improves. The MC-21-300 exit concept is then more similar to the MAX 9, which affects efficiency in a positive way.

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