Lessons Learned From The Airbus Anti-Corruption Settlements

Highlights

• Airbus S.E. (Airbus) recently agreed to pay nearly $4 billion to simultaneously settle anti-corruption charges brought by the United States, United Kingdom and French authorities arising out of multiyear investigations and involving a number of airlines around the world.
• The Airbus case follows a number of recent major anti-corruption cases in the aviation industry, ranging from aircraft, engine and component manufacturers, to airlines, and maintenance and repair organizations (MROs).
• This case and others should serve as a clear wake-up call to company compliance officers to reexamine anti-corruption policies and procedures, on paper and in practice.

In late January 2020, Airbus agreed to pay nearly $4 billion and to take a number of remedial measures in order to resolve alleged corruption violations with the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF), the United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office (SFO), as well as the U.S. Department of