Canadian Government Allows Airbus to Use Sanctioned Russian Titanium

The Canadian government has granted Airbus a waiver to allow it to use Russian titanium. This happened despite Canada being the first Western government to ban supplies of the strategic metal in its latest package of measures regarding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“Airbus is aware of the Canadian government imposing sanctions on VSMPO and has obtained the necessary authorization to secure Airbus operations in compliance with the applicable sanctions,” Airbus Canada said in response to a Reuters query.

Airbus hasn’t provided any additional details regarding this exception. The Canadian government hasn’t commented on the situation yet.

Airbus announced its intention to stop sourcing titanium from Russia “within a few months” in December 2022. According to Reuters sources, the company has increased its titanium purchases from the United States and Japan. However, they also noted that, due to aerospace standards, the process of certifying new suppliers could take years.

Canada imposed sanctions on VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation in February 2024. In the summer of 2022, the European Union authorities considered implementing similar restrictions, but European companies, including Airbus, strongly opposed this move.

According to The Washington Post, Western companies have purchased hundreds of millions of dollars worth of titanium from Russia over the two years of the war. In 2022, VSMPO-AVISMA supplied Western companies with $370 million worth of titanium, with Airbus among the buyers, purchasing at least $24 million worth of Russian titanium.