OREANDA-NEWS Russian airlines are ready to sign contracts for 200 MC-21 aircraft, and the certification process is already underway, Russian Transport Minister Roman Starovoit said.

"Our airlines are ready to sign contracts for the MC-21 with 200 aircraft... certification work is already underway. Because the creation of a new air fleet is a long process, it is not only work, as well as documentation of the creation of prototypes, but also a lot of work on certification, because this directly affects the safety of the air force in the future," Starovoit said in an interview with Izvestia at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is taking place from 18 to 21 June. RIA Novosti is the information partner of the forum.