Superjet and MS-21 to get new names

The world market for large passenger aircraft is still a de facto duopoly. Now that Airbus has taken over Bombardier’s promising C-Series and Boeing has taken over Embraer with its commercial models, there is hardly any serious competition for them any more. China and Russia have been wanting to change that for a long time.

However, Airbus and Boeing are still hardly feeling the effects of their competitors from the East. Their products are too immature, their service too weak, their brands too unknown in many parts of the world. For some time now, Moscow has been seriously considering how to improve the power of its own aviation industry, especially after its mediocre success with the Superjet 100.

More focused marketing

One way of doing this is to appear more united overall. Yuri Slyusar told the Ria Novosti news agency that the introduction of a single name for the two new Russian passenger planes is being considered. The Superjet 100 and the MS-21 are to be perceived as part of a model series, the head of the state aviation company UAC explained.

This would allow marketing to be concentrated on one brand and «not scattered in all directions». However, A final decision has not yet been made.

Manufacturers merged

Just over a year ago, UAC had already transferred all shares of its subsidiary Sukhoi Civil Aircraft to its other subsidiary Irkut, which builds the MS-21. In this way, the Group intends to exploit synergies in research and development, as it was then called. Even then it was hinted that the first name Sukhoi could then disappear from the Superjet. It generally stands for military aircraft.