U.S. Extends Export Restrictions on Russian Airlines for Another 180 Days

The U.S. Department of Commerce has extended export restrictions for Russian airlines Aeroflot, Utair, and Azur Air for 180 days, according to notices from the U.S. government published in the Federal Register, a collection of official country documents. The decision, in theory, prevents the companies from conducting any negotiations involving their Boeing airplane fleets.

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According to the documents, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Matthew Axelrod, said he approved requests to «extend the temporary denial order» of export privileges for three Russian airlines.

The decision takes effect immediately and extends the restrictions for 180 days. Previously, they had already been extended for that period on October 3, 2022, and March 29, 2023. The restrictions were introduced on April 7, 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine.

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As inferred from the message, the Bureau of Industry and Security, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, submitted requests on September 5 to extend sanctions against Russian airlines. “The written request was submitted more than 20 days before the expiration. No objection was received to the extension of the request,” the commerce department states. Copies of the order were sent to Aeroflot, Utair, and Azur Air.

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The restrictions prevent the airlines from engaging in transactions subject to U.S. export regulations, including the export and re-export of U.S. software and technology.

On February 24, 2022, the United States introduced export controls on aviation-related products supplied to Russia. This meant “introducing additional licensing requirements and limiting access to most export, re-export, and domestic transfer license exceptions.”

As a result of the introduced restrictions, suppliers cannot send U.S. goods to legal entities subject to U.S. Department of Commerce sanctions without first obtaining a special license. At the same time, when considering license requests, a “presumption of denial” will be applied, meaning such requests are very likely to be rejected.