Airbus hit with record £6.4m UK fine over military export control failures

HMRC fined Airbus's UK division £6.4 million — the largest out-of-court settlement for strategic export control breaches. Before November 2022, Airbus failed to keep proper records across multiple licences covering controlled military technology. The company self-reported and cooperated fully. HMRC warned it "will not hesitate to take action on military goods export controls."