Airbus tightens fraud controls

(Air Transport World, Arlington, 22 May 2017) Airbus has established a new independent compliance review panel (ICRP) to ensure “irreproachable” behavior, following allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption in its civil aviation business. The move follows an investigation by the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and France’s Parquet National Financier (PNF), after Airbus self-disclosed misstatements and omissions found a year ago. Revelations started emerging in April 2016, when the UK Export Finance (UKEF), Britain’s export credit agency (ECA), placed a temporary hold on all guarantees and credit export support of Airbus products. Coface, the French ECA, and Euler Hermes, the German ECA, followed within days. The probe is focused on alleged misuse of third-party agents and European export credit by Airbus.