If Air India wants to risk sanctions, whereby their entire fleet loses access to new planes, engines, parts and servicing, sure.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/14/air-india-places-orders-for-...
See my other comment [1]. Nobody thinks the U.S. will permanently stick Air India with sanctions. But everyone knows there is a gray area during which, if you're an American or do business with America, particularly if you are in a regulated field, you do not want to be the banker or engineer who kept doing business with an entity that just publicly violated sanctions.
And both sides' politicians would love this. Private parties bear the cost. New Delhi can rail on American imperialism, the immorality of sanctions and the pragmatism of its geopolitical strategy. Washington can talk up how it pragmatically exempted India while throwing pot shots at Russia's isolation. It's a manufactured crisis with a simple solution whose costs are borne by a third party: that's catnip to electeds.
Please enlighten everyone: in what way is an Indian entity paying their own engineers to use their own parts to fix their own aircraft “violating sanctions”? Please give as much detail as possible.
These products are subjext to reëxport controls—that’s what sanctions bite with. Air India transporting a controlled engine component into Russia violates those June 2022 sanctions. (It’s the same reason e.g. Germany can block the reëxport of its tanks, or Russia can tell India it’s not allowed to donate its new Su’s to the USAF.) It’s similar to if Air India starts importing American computer components and reëxporting them to North Korea; it would be blocked from accessing American and allied services. That’s the entire point of sanctions.
This is clearly-established law and precedent that is easily available from any competent attorney in India familiar with export/import of restricted goods.
We’re looking the other way. India is more important as a regional relation than global player, and the degree to which it’s practically enabling Moscow is minimal. India has its own interest in not becoming a Chinese vassal, something Russia is rapidly devolving into. Any military planner in India worth their salt is keenly aware that in a conflict between New Delhi and Beijing, one would have the leverage in Moscow.
https://www.ft.com/content/ebb851db-6ff6-4334-a47f-dd176b2ad...
I highly doubt that because these kind of sanctions given with absolute bullshit reason would really hurt west's claim of being better. Even the Russia's sanctions is going really badly for Europe and west is not in a good time to extend their arms further. Also China is developing its own airplane and now is definitely not a great time to encourage other countries which don't have good relation with west.
Importing the same amount or even much lower amounts of oil/gas at much higher prices would result in higher overall imports yes.
Also Russian a lot natural resource exports were/are exempt from sanctions due to practical reasons so what are you trying to say?
> India and China haven't even agreed to sanction ever.
Yet their companies will at least more or less outwardly comply with them because they want to continue doing business with western companies. It makes zero sense for Air India to ship GE engines to Russia without getting an exemption.
All of that is completely irrelevant of course since the airplane in question is already back in India...
Point is if Air India strolled into Russia with restricted engine components, there would be consequences. Everyone at GE involved would be subject to criminal investigation. Everyone's banking relationships would be in jeopardy.
Sanctions indirectly enforce themselves. Air India could get a waiver, but that takes time, time during which that plane would be stranded and unproductive. Those were the stakes here. Because nobody is stupid enough to stick their finger to U.S. sanctions and rely on the “West’s claim of being better.”
And just if you don't know, India is not part of US Russia sanctions and trades with both.
It's not a political decision. It's current law. What Air India would have needed would have been a political decision, a waiver, to an understandable but unforeseen situation.
New Delhi would be fine asking for forgiveness if this were military plane. But Air India, a private company, has to deal with other private companies. Do you think Air India's banks want to bet their livelihoods on an ex post facto waiver? Even if (read: when) Air India is given a waiver, the American wire officer who processed their transactions after a known sanctions violation would be in personal jeopardy, legally, professionally and possibly criminally. Same for every engineer who provided support, every courier who knowingly transported parts.
> what has it to do with GE? The equipment belongs to Air India in India.
The engine on that 777 is made by GE. It has to comply with U.S. law. You don't want every part and service contract with GE and Boeing and who knows who else being held up while you get forgiveness.
Indian policy is to do trade with Russia and that is all that matters here.
You do realize engines like this require continuous maintenance, access to parts etc? They couldn't safely operate their fleet for very long without western companies.
Risking all of that just so that they wouldn't have to delay the repairs for a few weeks or even months would make zero sense.
> Indian policy is to do trade with Russia and that is all that matters here.
Air India operates zero Russian airplanes and it's fleet is exclusively made up from Airbus and Boeing jets. There are zero practical reasons for them to want to move away from that now.
Nor legally. Overfly regulations generally require minimum standards be met. This is why Iranian and Russian jets are largely confined to domestic service.
Of course there is. The Trading With The Enemy Act of 1917, together with a series of E. O.s, namely, 14024 and 14068, as implemented last June [1]. Everyone knew the rules they were playing by going into this.
Jeopardizing what? There are no real alternatives to Airbus and Boeing and won't be for years.
Also at the end it's a signal aircraft which will be fixed and back in service even if might take a few weeks or even months than it would ussually. No need to blow this out of proportion.