Breaking: Russian aviation hit in a significant way again -

[Yorkie Mom]

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Breaking: Russian aviation hit in a significant way again - this time, by Bermuda. Bermuda revokes the licenses of 745 Russian aircraft (that’s 50% of Russia’s airline fleet).

Note: Majority of aircraft flying for Russian airlines are registered in Bermuda for tax avoidance.

Bermuda’s Civil Aviation Authority admits it “cannot assert with any certainty that the aircraft of Russian airlines with Bermuda registration are airworthy”

In addition - foreign leasing companies want their jets back from Russia by 28 March.

Russian airlines “simply not answering the phone” one lessor tells me, as they prepare to ‘write off’ dozens of multi-million dollar airline jets that could be “essentially gone for good”

[FakeNoose]

1. Wow! A lot of Russian travelers will be unable to fly

"Aw, that's a shame!"

[luvtheGWN]

11. Not to mention a lot of Russians unable to fly back home.

Big article in yesterday's paper about thousands of Russian vacationers stranded in Thailand.

[COL Mustard]

12. I can think of worse places to be stuck

Than Thailand. Of course, with no money and no access to credit, it might really suck after a little while. Oh well.

[SergeStorms]

27. And having to push....

wheelbarrow's of rubles around for a bottle of water. That would suck in an equatorial climate.

[L. Coyote]

21. The lucky ones! 144 million are stranded in Russia.

[COL Mustard]

29. +1000

LOL, they sure are!

[mitch96]

2. Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark..nt

[PortTack]

3. I read Russia has no intention of returning leased aircraft

[SheltieLover]

4. Yup

[revmclaren]

5. Finding replacement parts is going to be

damn near impossible.

After 6 months to a year they will be glorified 20 ton door stops.

And the original owners will have a huge tax write off.

[PortTack]

7. Indeed! China says it will not sell Russia parts...ooops!

[paleotn]

15. Word is "want 'em? Come get 'em".

I doubt few will take them up on that offer, this the billions in write offs. Months to years from now, if they are recoverable, it will cost huge bucks to get them re-certified, depending on what maintenance regimens have been skipped or half assed, if that's even possible.

[Kablooie]

25. Putin is burning Russia's bridges with the rest of the world.

No company will ever trust Russia again if they steal their property.
Russia is turning into another N Korea and will have to rely on china’s support to survive.

[Goonch]

6. ;-{)🖖‍

[dalton99a]

8. Yep.

[COL Mustard]

13. Is that Putin's new plane???

[getagrip_already]

9. if they keep them, where will they fly them?

They won't be able to land in most countries, at least not land and take off again.

They will be seized as stolen property (or could be anyway).

Then, without valid maintenance records most aviation authorities won't let them come and go.

And as others have pointed out, spare parts will become an issue.

So while they may be able to fly within russia, they probably can't fly many other places and leave again.

[ToxMarz]

23. Going forward, who will ever lease/finance anything that will end up in Russia

This isn't a business risk anymore, it is the sovereign government that is the risk. They can't just say we won't do that again.

[Mr. Evil]

10. Wow! When Putin steps in it he goes all in.

He really is like getting in your car before you notice that horrible stench of dog shit that is all over your shoe until you get out into traffic.

[Wingus Dingus]

17. ...

[patphil]

14. Bermuda is really tiny; 20.6 square miles.

I doubt if there is enough empty space in Bermuda to park that many aircraft. This was obviously a money making venture for both Bermuda and Russia.
The problem for Russia is that Bermuda is part of the United Kingdom, so goodbye all those aircraft registrations.
Just another unanticipated consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and another ding to the Russian economy.

[paleotn]

16. Bermuda is just the registrar. Lessors own them....

Storage, if necessary, would be in places with dry, stable climates like AZ, southern CA, TX. Still a mess.

[patphil]

18. That's right. But registration is needed to fly.

I didn't expect these planes to be parked in Bermuda, only that it's a huge number of aircraft to be registered by such a small place.
These planes will have a hard time landing anyplace outside of Russia without registration, and the owners of the planes may not agree to a transfer of registration to another country.

[Ford_Prefect]

24. If this mess goes on long enough Putin's pals will invent a way to fly them or sell them.

It's what they did to get all that cash they're hiding now.

[TeamProg]

19. Moving Russian supplies is going to get a lot harder within Russia.

Anyone have a meme of smoke blastng out of Putin ears?

[Hekate]

20. The world is trying to vote Pooty off the island

[IronLionZion]

22. An increasingly isolated Russia is turning into North Korea

cornered and dangerous with an evil leader

[Stinky The Clown]

28. Call these guys

[Scrivener7]

30. Which means they're just stealing planes from the leasing companies.

Why would anyone do business with these people, even notwithstanding the invasion??