The United States has accused Minsk-based Belavia Belarusian Airlines of providing flight services for passengers and cargo on US-origin aircraft in violation of US export controls. As a result, the US Bureau of Industry and Security has issued an order temporarily denying all export privileges for the airline. The US Government agency says Belavia has consistently violated the comprehensive export controls imposed on it in April.

The US ramps up the sanctions pressure on Belavia

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on April 8, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) banned any aircraft registered in, owned, controlled by, or under charter or lease by Belarus or a national of Belarus that includes more than 25% US-origin controlled content from operating into or out of Belarus and Russia.

Over half of Belavia's operational fleet comprises Boeing 737-300s and 737-800s built in the US. The BIS says Belavia has continued to operate flights in and out of both Belarus and Russia after April 8 using those planes and continues to do so. The agency cited instances of flights to Russia, Georgia, Turkey, the UAE, and Egypt.

"Just as Belarus is lawlessly supporting Russia's unjust war in Ukraine, its national airline Belavia is failing to obey our export laws," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod.

"This temporary denial order will prevent Belavia from leveraging any US technology to operate its fleet of airplanes, thus making it more difficult for the airline to keep flying."

Belavia was the first Belarusian airline targeted for extra sanctions

Mr Axelrod says this is the first enforcement action taken by BIS against an airline in Belarus under the export controls imposed by the US. Thursday's enforcement action is in the form of a Temporary Denial Order (TDO) that cuts off Belavia's access to any and all US goods and technologies. The BIS has already issued TDOs against Russian airlines Aeroflot, Aviastar, Azur Air, Rossiya, and Utair but Belavia is the first Belarusian airline to fall foul of the agency.

The order bans Belavia from accessing US-sourced aircraft and prevents the supply of spare and replacement parts manufactured in the US. It is the access to spare parts to keep planes in the air that promises to do the most damage to Belavia while sanctions continue.

The European Union and many other European countries have already banned Belavia as part of rolling sanctions imposed against Russian and Belarusian state-owned companies. Israel also got onboard two weeks ago, canceling planned scheduled services between Minsk (MSQ) and Tel Aviv (TLV) from early June. In pointed comments, Belavia officials called that decision "unilateral" and a blow to tourism in both countries.

Flights continue into blacklisted Russia

Meanwhile, many airlines continue to ignore western sanctions against Russia and maintain flights to that country. Aside from Belavia, Armenia's Armenia and Flyone Armenia, Uzbekistan's Qanot Sharq Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways, Kazakhstan's SCAT, Kyrgyzstan's Air Traffic Qazan, and Tajikistan's Somon Air all fly in from neighboring countries.

From further afield, some well-known current customers of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) include El Al Israel Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Turkish Airlines, and Air China. All up, 35 international airlines are operating scheduled passenger flights into Russia this month.

Thursday's order against Belavia is valid for 180 days, after which it can be extended if circumstances warrant.