Malaysian transportation holding company CRECOM Burj Resources is to buy 50 MS-21 passenger airliners from Russian aircraft producer Irkut in the largest post-Soviet sale of Russia-made new generation planes abroad.

The agreement was signed on Wednesday in the presence of Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the Farnborough International Air Show underway near London.

The first MS-21-200 and MS-21-300 planes will be delivered to Malaysia in 2016.

The MS-21 twinjet, which is still under development, is to replace the aging Tu-154, which currently accounts for the lion's share of Russia's passenger traffic. It is also expected to compete with the Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737.

The MS-21, expected to perform its maiden flight in 2015, should start rolling off the assembly line in 2016.

The MS-21 family will comprise three models designed to accommodate 150, 181 and 212 passengers respectively.

FARNBOROUGH (BRITAIN) July 21 (RIA Novosti)