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, sanctioned by the European Union, at Antalya Airport, the Financial Times reported.
The EU added the airline to its sanctions list in June 2024. Subsequently, Brussels introduced a requirement for companies in the sector to ensure that their non-EU entities do not undermine sanctions imposed following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Citing European Commission guidelines, the bloc said it could take legal action against non-compliant companies.
TAV Airports is partly owned by France’s Groupe ADP.
The company’s response
In turn, TAV said it takes sanctions compliance very seriously and has not violated the sanctions regime. The company also emphasized that 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, the company 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 when a company cannot control a non-EU subsidiary because of factors beyond its control, such as local legal requirements.
Meanwhile, France’s Ministry of Economy and Finance and the state agency supervising corporate investments have not commented on the issue. The European Commission also declined to comment.
TAV Airports also serves Iranian airlines
According to the Financial Times, TAV-operated airports in Turkey and Georgia have also served Iranian airlines subject to U.S. sanctions. Dealings with sanctioned airlines have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after the U.S. sanctioned 27 Iranian carriers on Sept. 8 in an effort to increase pressure on Tehran.
At least eight of the Iranian airlines Washington targeted 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, the British newspaper reported. However, a Meraj Airlines flight, for instance, departed Tehran for the TAV-operated Ankara airport on Oct. 5 before returning to Iran overnight. However, TAV said it had stopped providing services — within its scope of control — to Iranian airlines sanctioned by the U.S.