TAV Airports Subsidiary Services EU-Sanctioned Ural Airlines at Antalya, FT Reports
Why It MattersSanctions exposure is shifting from airlines themselves to the airport operators and ground handlers that serve them, tightening compliance scrutiny on non-EU subsidiaries in the sector.
Havaş, a subsidiary of TAV Airports, the Turkish airport operator and majority owner of Almaty International Airport, continues to service flights operated by Russian carrier Ural Airlines at Antalya Airport. The European Union added Ural Airlines to its sanctions list in June 2024. Brussels subsequently introduced a requirement for companies in the sector to ensure that their non-EU entities do not undermine sanctions imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the bloc said it could take legal action against non-EU entities that do.
TAV said it takes sanctions compliance very seriously and has not violated the sanctions regime. The company said it does not control which airlines use Antalya Airport, as Turkish authorities decide that. According to TAV, when a sanctioned airline operates flights to Antalya, it provides only the minimum services required by local regulations, state contractual obligations and civil aviation authority mandates, without violating any U.S. or EU sanctions requirements. European law allows exceptions where a company cannot control a non-EU subsidiary because of factors beyond its control.
TAV-operated airports in Turkey and Georgia have also served Iranian airlines subject to U.S. sanctions. The U.S. sanctioned 27 Iranian carriers on Sept. 8 to increase pressure on Tehran. At least eight of the targeted airlines had historically used Turkish and Georgian airports with TAV-managed terminals and continued to do so for several weeks after the U.S. move. Most routes now appear to be closed, but a Meraj Airlines flight departed Tehran for the TAV-operated Ankara airport on Oct. 5 before returning to Iran overnight.
