Numerous machines are being registered with the Russian airline Utair. The background to this is that it was decided that all aircraft that are owned will be registered in Russia in the future.

For historical reasons, but also to avoid import taxes, Russian airlines are happy to register their western planes in Ireland and the Bermuda Islands. Initially, the main reason for the fact that the Russian aviation authority was overwhelmed with the supervision of these machines after the collapse of the Soviet Union, because they had no experience with them.

Lessors have insisted on registration outside the Russian Federation. The background to this is that the local register was not recognized for a number of years, so that the machines would have been considered unattended. The result: enormous loss of value. Many years have now passed and the Russian Civil Aviation Authority is not only recognized, but has also built up competent personnel for Western types.

Nevertheless, even the state-owned Aeroflot likes to register in Ireland and Bermuda. This avoids comparatively high import taxes for aircraft that were built outside of the Russian Federation. That has been a thorn in the side of the government for a long time. Therefore, the pressure on the carrier has been increased massively.

Utair has now decided that all aircraft owned by the airline will be re-registered in the Russian register. The leasing machines remain registered abroad. This means that only a small part of the fleet is affected, as the vast majority is leased.