US fines Türkiye’s Air Sapphire $285,000 for Russia charters
The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has fined Turkish business charter firm Air Sapphire USD285,000 for arranging at least two charter flights into Russia without the required export licence.
The Turkish firm acquired a US-made Gulfstream GIV-SP, TC-GLF (msn 1481), in October 2023. It then operated at least two charter flights to Russia: on October 13, 2023, from Istanbul Atatürk to Tyumen Roschino, and on January 21, 2024, from Malé to one of the Moscow airports. Both charters were on behalf of Russian citizens (although the passenger on the January charter used a Cypriot passport), although they were paid for using third-party non-Russian service providers.
The Turkish company admitted wrongdoing. The US regulator split the fine into instalments payable through August 29, 2025.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that the GIV-SP is operated on the AOC of CKD Aviation, as Air Sapphire does not have its own certificate (although the aircraft was branded with Air Sapphire’s logos). The 21.5-year-old aircraft was last active on February 11-14, 2024, when it was flown from Istanbul Atatürk to Dubai World Central, Minsk National, Reykjavik Keflavik, and then to an unidentified airport in California. CDK Havacilik also operates another GIV-SP, which remains active.
