Türkiye’s airport ground service provider Havaş told Russian and Belarusian airliners that it might stop providing services to their United States-made aircraft, in line with Western sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
A Havaş letter dated Jan. 31 and seen by Reuters, with the subject line of "potential restrictions on Boeing aircraft," was sent days before U.S. officials met Turkish government and private sector officials to urge cooperation with U.S. curbs on Russia.
The Havaş letter mentioned "some or all flights" of Russian and Belarusian airlines’ aircraft that contain more than 25% of U.S.-origin technology. Russian forces used Belarus as a launch pad for their attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, at the start of the war nearly a year ago, but Belarus has ruled out joining the conflict.
Havaş said the Turkish aviation industry received warning letters from the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the letter was to respond to U.S. export controls related to the Ukraine war.
"In that respect, we are running a due-diligence process to identify risks and consequences to our business and stakeholders. As a result, we may be unable to serve some or all of your flights," the Havaş letter said.
As part of sweeping Western sanctions and export controls on Moscow, the U.S. restricted licensing, features, and services – from new airframes and engines to cupholders and fuel – on planes of U.S. origin like Boeing jets containing up to 25% U.S. materials.
Havaş asked Russian and Belarusian airlines for a list of aircraft that contain less than 25% of U.S. origin technology, advising them to plan flights to be operated with those planes.
Havaş will only serve aircraft with less than 25% of U.S.-origin technology if U.S. authorities issue an order denying export privileges to the airline operating the flight.
Havaş, Türkiye’s most significant airport ground services provider, operates in many airports, including the most important cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya.
In December, officials from the U.S. administration held a two-day workshop in Türkiye to warn Turkish companies that they could be breaching U.S. war-time restrictions on Moscow when they provide an array of services to arriving Russian aircraft, including handling, refueling, and new parts at airports.