Airbus Operations Pays £6.4 Million Compound Settlement for Export Control Recordkeeping Breaches

ECJU published Notice to Exporters 2026/17 naming Airbus Operations Limited as having paid a compound settlement of £6,409,388 for offences under The Export Control Order 2008. Over a sustained period before November 2022, Airbus breached multiple recordkeeping and register-keeping requirements under Article 29(2)(a-g), 29(3), and 29(2)(i) tied to three of its Open General Export Licences (OGELs), as well as one condition failure under a Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) which are offences contrary to Articles 38(1)(a) and (b) of the Order. The case arose from a voluntary disclosure by Airbus, which fully cooperated with HMRC's investigation and implemented remediation measures. HMRC used the case to underscore the importance of strong internal controls for businesses transferring controlled technology under licensing regimes.