UK fines Airbus £6.4 million for multiple export-control violations

Airbus has agreed to pay a £6.4 million fine to HM Revenue and Customs after self-reporting a series of violations of the United Kingdom's export control rules that occurred before November 2022. The breaches stemmed from the company's failure to maintain accurate records for shipments covered by three Open General Export Licences, as well as lapses in a standard individual export licence. The settlement, the biggest ever reached by HMRC for strategic export offences, far exceeds the recent £569,100 penalty imposed on Petrofac's Aberdeen division for Russia-sanctions breaches.

Airbus Operations Limited, the UK subsidiary of the European aerospace group, said it cooperated fully with the investigation and has implemented corrective actions. HMRC officials highlighted the importance of robust licensing and record-keeping to protect national security. Sanctions lawyer Nigel Kushner warned that the case should serve as a wake-up call for other exporters to adhere strictly to licence conditions.