Banned Russian flights could hurt Boeing plant

Aviation giant Boeing could see a dip in business due to U.S. officials barring Russian flights amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported. 

The U.S. sanctions could particularly affect the company’s plant in Everett, Wash., which relies on Antonov An-124 cargo planes operated by Russian company Volga-Dnepr Group to fly in components from other plants. 

“Boeing needs its equipment and components,” Logistics Capital & Strategy LLC managing director Brian Clancy told the outlet. “The reality of it is that we’re all co-dependent on each other’s planes.”

According to the latest regyulatory filing, Volga-Dnepr argued its aircraft was the only one “to perform the services in question within the set schedule,” adding that timely shipments were vital to avoid production delays.

Boeing has also halted engineering work it does in Moscow and restricted employee access in the country due to sensitive data, Bloomberg reported. 

“We work closely with our wide range of supply chain and logistics partners to manage through any potential impacts,” Boeing said in a statement. 

President Biden announced the ban on Russian flights — a move already made by some countries in Europe — during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began a week ago, and has led to a series of escalating international sanctions against Moscow, hitting Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and commercial sectors.