BIS Issues Temporary Denial Order for Russian Airline

The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a temporary denial order for Russian airline Ural Airlines after it violated U.S. export controls by flying multiple aircraft to Russia, BIS said. Under the order, Ural Airlines’ export privileges will be revoked for at least 180 days.

BIS said the airline flew the planes, which were subject to the Export Administration Regulations, on a range of international flights to Russia since at least August and as recently as Oct. 6. All the flights required BIS export licenses, the agency said, but the airline never “sought or obtained” the authorizations.

Due to the airline's violations, BIS said it has “heightened concerns of future violations of the EAR, especially given that any subsequent actions taken with regard to any of the listed aircraft, or other URAL aircraft exported or reexported to Russia after March 2, 2022, may violate the EAR.” The agency also said it suspects the airline will continue to violate the controls because of information on Ural’s website, which continues to advertise flights within Russia and international flights from Moscow. BIS also expects the airline to try to evade the controls to “obtain new or additional aircraft parts” or service its existing aircraft.

The denial order, effective Oct. 13, blocks the airline from applying or obtaining export licenses, except for those “directly related to safety of flight,” and participating in any transactions involving any export subject to the EAR. BIS added Ural to its restricted aircraft list in August for operating foreign-produced aircraft that violated the EAR’s de minimis threshold for U.S. components by flying into Russia or Belarus (see 2208020018).