Snitch wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2024 12:34 am
Falcon 900EX N719SH
Interestingly the USA trust company she is registered is also registered as the owner of 3 ex SAA A340-600 (ex ZS-SNE, ZS-SNH and ZS-SNI)
There are two very different reasons that US trusts (not companies) are often used in aircraft ownership and there are several established aviation trust services, some run by banks and others independently operated (TVPX is independently operated). They specialise in providing these services for aircraft.
In the case of N719SH, it's likely that the aircraft is owned by a non-US person or entity, or an entity not controlled by a US person or entity. For an FAA registration (like this aircraft), the trust (i.e. TVPX) is the owner of the aircraft, with the beneficial owners being the beneficiary of the trust. In all likelihood, the underlying owner is a business entity registered in tax efficient domicile (not the US), but the aircraft is to be operated in the US (hence the N registration). So the trust acts as a guarantor of sorts to get a US registration.
In the case of the ex-SAA aircraft, they were originally owned and leased to SAA by ILFC and then AerCap (it's successor). AerCap is an Irish registered company, however most of its aircraft are financed in the US. AerCap's shares are listed on NYSE and their bonds mostly issued in the US. The covenants on these bonds are de facto secured by the aircraft, hence the ownership needs to be controlled through a US trust to ensure enforceability of the covenants under US law.
Many leased aircraft are leased via aviation trusts and it's not unique to the US. Ultimately, whether a trust or a company structure, it'll need to be domiciled in the jurisdiction where the aircraft is financed. Sometimes you'll see similar structures in Mauritius
4 C172 flying around at 2am
. 3 of them looked like they were doing circuits
4 C172 flying around at 2am 
. 3 of them looked like they were doing circuits 
