The UK government has fined Sabre Corp a record amount for violating sanctions against Russia. The company’s subsidiary has been ordered to pay a penalty of 1 million pounds (close to $1.34 million), according to a report by Reuters.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) imposed the fine on Sabre Global Technologies due to its relationship with Russian carrier Ural Airlines. Sabre continued providing the Russian airline with access to its global distribution system for seven months after the UK imposed sanctions on Moscow in May 2022.
According to the OFSI, after payment channels involving British banks were suspended, Sabre asked Ural Airlines to send a test payment to one of its nonbank accounts outside the UK, with the intention of concluding future settlements using the alternative method. Sabre voluntarily disclosed the violations.
Overall, the UK government has imposed restrictions on more than 3,000 individuals, legal entities, and vessels. In May, the OFSI fined Deutsche Bank’s London branch 165,000 pounds, and in March it fined Apple’s Irish unit 390,000 pounds for violating financial sanctions against Russia.
On June 16, reports confirmed that the UK would be the first country to include tankers carrying liquefied natural gas in a new sanctions package against Russia. According to the UK government’s website, the new package targeted Russia’s “shadow fleet,” sanctions-evasion schemes, and networks linked to the procurement of Western technology for the Russian military. London said the new restrictions would bring the number of UK-sanctioned vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” and LNG exports to more than 600.
Sabre Corp. is a U.S. travel technology company that provides software and booking infrastructure to airlines, travel agencies, hotels and other travel businesses. Its global distribution system allows travel agents and online platforms to search fares, book tickets and manage reservations, making Sabre part of the back-end infrastructure behind much of the international travel industry.
