Russian aircraft maker Irkut plans to produce 72 MC-21 planes annually by 2025, chief designer Konstantin Popovich told reporters Wednesday at the MAKS-2019 airshow.

“This is an ambitious target, which we will achieve in six years,” he said. Market demand in MC-21 planes is estimated at 1,000 planes for the next 20 years, he added.

CEO Ravil Khakimov said that Irkut plans to sign a contract with national flagship carrier Aeroflot on supplies of 35 MC-21 planes by the first quarter of 2020.

“We are in constant dialogue with Aeroflot, the day before yesterday we met with (Aeroflot) CEO Vitaly Gennadyevich Savelyev. An agreement has been reached. The terms of signing a contract – I think we will sign such agreement before the first quarter of 2020,” he said.

Irkut general designer Oleg Demchenko told PRIME that preliminary tests of composite materials for MC-21 planes produced by nuclear corporation Rosatom will be finished until the end of this year.

“Tests of Rosatom’s composite materials have begun. Starting from today and until the end of the year we should complete preliminary tests,” he said. “We are sure we will get positive results,” he added.