Since the breakup of the USSR more and more western aircraft have entered Russia, but none have been registered there, even if owned by the respective airline. Instead all such aircraft seem to be registered in Bermuda (VP-B..). Why are they all registered in Bermuda and not Russia? I seem to remember that Bermuda has liberal tax laws perhaps this has something to do with it?

Did you check the database?

Transaero had at least two B737-200's placed on the Russian register...

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Photo © Brian Wilkes

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Photo © Peter Unmuth-VAP


And SAT are operating at least one:


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Photo © J.Suzuki



Cheers,
Titch

Quoting TradewindL1011 (Thread starter): Why are they all registered in Bermuda and not Russia?

Because Russia charges ridicoulously hight import taxes for western aircraft.

You can also add the VIM-Avia 757-200's that were previously operated by Condor; most of them are on the Russian register:

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Photo © Nikolai Ionkine

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Photo © Evteev Mikhail


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Photo © Pavel Pyasetsky


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Photo © Usachev Pavel


Cheers,
Titch

Most are owned by finance companies and are registered in the relevant country for tax reasons. Ireland is one such - many aircraft operated by Italian airlines are on the Irish register also.

With the several examples cited, I should change the topic name to "Very few western aircraft". To those that answered the question rather than an attempt to prove me wrong I appreciate the responses. This also leads me to ask why some airlines do manage to register them but the vast majority do not.

Quoting Dazeflight (Reply 2): Quoting TradewindL1011 (Thread starter): Why are they all registered in Bermuda and not Russia? Because Russia charges ridicoulously hight import taxes for western aircraft.

Russian airlines have to pay those taxes whether the planes are registered in Russia or not. As long as they're operated by a Russian airline, they have to pay around 40 percent import taxes.

Quoting TradewindL1011 (Reply 5): This also leads me to ask why some airlines do manage to register them but the vast majority do not.

My guess is that the airplanes mentioned above are owned by the Russian airlines.

Quoting TradewindL1011 (Reply 5): This also leads me to ask why some airlines do manage to register them but the vast majority do not.

See here:

Quoting Dazeflight (Reply 2): Because Russia charges ridicoulously hight import taxes for western aircraft.

Maybe those few aircraft weren't expensive to buy and therefore were Russian registered. IIRC, no intra-Russian routes may be operated with jets on foreign registers (except GUS registers ?). Or does this only apply to business jets ???

Quoting A342 (Reply 7): IIRC, no intra-Russian routes may be operated with jets on foreign registers (except GUS registers ?)

I've been flying on lots of foreign registered airplanes on domestic flights within Russia.

F-OGYP crashed in Irkutsk a couple of weeks ago after a domestic flight from Moscow.

Quoting RedChili (Reply 8): I've been flying on lots of foreign registered airplanes on domestic flights within Russia. F-OGYP crashed in Irkutsk a couple of weeks ago after a domestic flight from Moscow.

I think there are exceptions for leased aircraft. I confused it with foreign airlines.

I might be wrong but as far as I've heard, the issue is not that much with taxes (you have to pay them anyway, even if your aircraft is registered abroad, unless you have some special "tax exemption" like SU or UN), but with maintenance procedures. Russia does not have establshed procedures of maintenance for Western aircraft, so once you have registered a Boeing or an Airbus in Russia it becomes very difficult to sell it outside of Russia. And that is something leasing companies don't like at all!

Registering your aircraft in Bermuda or Ireland is hassle-free, cheap and most pax don't care if there is a "RA-", a "VP-" or an "EI-" written on the plane they fly.