http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=52645
The IL96 (actually IL86?) might be Air Kazakstan. The tailrudder would be a new one explaining the white bit.
Or, also with a white rudder.
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=21638
Could the IL62 with the light blue tail be from Uzbekistan Airways?
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=212803
or this one, Air Ukraine
the 747 with the “BOAC” logo is from Air Plus Comet. A Spanish charter airline owned by Aerolineas Argentinas.
There are 4 main reasons why Russian airplanes and other airplanes from the former CIS are not popular in the West.
1) Reputation.
For better or worse their reputation is not that good. Joe Average still associates the Tupolevs, Antonovs and Illyushins with accidents and massive pollution.
It is not really a deserved reputation if you ask me. If you place a state of the art A320 or B737NG with one of the more obscure Russian or African airlines, than you can bet that they will fall out of the sky within 5 years. These airlines just don’t take their maintenance and operating procedures as seriously as their western counterparts.
As for their pollution levels. Their engines do pollute more. But if you add western engines under a Russian aircraft the pollution gets comparable to that of their western competitors. Not many aircraft are available with western engines as that would be too expensive for the airlines using them. Therefore when someone sees a Russian plane they are often smokey.
2) Customer service.
A plane has to be taken care of very well. And although Russian planes tend to be designed to take severe punishment (more so then their western competitors), they do need maintenance every now and then.
This is a mayor problem for Tupolev, Anotonov and others because they can not guarantee delivery of spare parts. Go to any airport in Russia and count the derelict planes. Planes that could be in perfect condition, had it not been stripped of 1 or 2 vital parts that could not be delivered in time.
This problem is less urgent in Africa, Asia and the former CIS where at least some warehouses with spares where located. In Europe and the Americas these warehouses where never build. And there is no money to buid them now. Therefore next day delivery of spare parts can not be guaranteed. Since a plane only makes money when it is airborne, that is simply not acceptable for most airlines.
3) Leasing programs.
Another large problem is the lack of leasing programs. A lot of airlines are unable to pay for their airplanes direct. They pay their bills in terms, in more simple terms… they lease the plane.
Tupolev, Antonov, Illyushin and the likes are unable to foot the bill and therefore have to depend on 3rd party leasing companies. These companies are non-existant or at best small. They are unable to lease out a large fleet.
The well known western leasing companies, ILFC and GECAS for instance, won’t buy these planes. They would not be able to lease them out to stable airlines. Obviously the lessor wants to be sure it gets its money on time and since most airlines that will lease these planes are likely to be African, Asian or former CIS this can not always be guaranteed. It would be a unwise bet.
Especially considering the large amount of modern(ish) western planes currently parked in the dessert the Russian planes are less competitive for them. Even if an airline can not pay the bills for a 757 all is not lost. The plane can be leased to another airline or just stripped of parts. The Russian plane is less likely to be leased quickly to another airline. Stripping it for parts is not going to make a lot of moeny either due to oversupply. Remember that every airport in Russia already has its fair share of old planes undergoing stripping. New planes may be stripped, but the market for spare parts of the new generation of Russian planes is so small that not much money is to be made here either.
4) Certification.
The last problem may be that not all Russian planes, certainly not the newer ones, are certified in every country. They will likely be certified by the JAA for operations in Europe. But will they also be certified by the FAA for operations in the US? Probably not, it is very expensive to do and the US market is particularly hard to penetrate. Call it the “if it ain’t Boeing I ain’t going” attitude if you will. Many still can’t stumach the idea of flying in eurotrash, let alone something made by the commies! :). Just go to a.net to see what I mean.
Final thoughts.
Personally the best hope for the modern Russian airliners, in particular the Tu204, I consider to be the (European) express parcel companies. DHL, TNT, FedEx and the likes. They order large fleets unlike many russian/asian/african airlines. It would also be a massive morale booster. After all, if even a modern western company buys them……
The parcel couriers don’t care for reputations. Their customers are freight handlers with knowledge of the industry. Therefore they (should) know better than to judge a plane by its name. Something Joe Average travelling to Tenerife with his 2.3 children does do. Imagine British Airways making an announcement that they where going to buy 30 Tu204s to replace the 757! The Sun would have a field day! Not to mention Ryanair and Easyjet!
The main advantage of the Tu204 (and other modern russian planes like the Antonov 140) would provide them with a new plane with very competitive economics, complete warranty and environmentally friendly at bargain price. In other words, they get a “new 757” at the price of a 2nd hand 757! Who would not jump at that opportunity!
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