Russia’s Irkut Corporation has completed the maiden flight of its MC-21-300 commercial aircraft.

The new commercial jet, which has a capacity of 163 to 211 passengers, completed a 30-minute flight at the altitude of 1000 meters, at the speed of 300 km/hour.

Its manufacturers believe the demand for the aircraft could reach 15,000 units in the next two decades.

The news follows the announcement of a new widebody aircraft joint venture last week between Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China and Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).

Irkut is a member of UAC, which is majority-owned by the Russian government, and is best known for its Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft.

Yury Slyusar, the president of UAC, said: “'MC-21 is created in a wide cooperation, where together with Irkut, other enterprises of the United Aircraft Corporation are actively participating, namely Aerocomposite company, Ulyanovsk and Voronezh aircraft plants, UAC Integration.

“This is an important stage in the formation of the new UAC industrial model. According to our estimates, the global demand in the MC-21 segment will be about 15,000 new aircraft in the next 20 years. I'm sure the airlines will appreciate our new aircraft.”