Boeing says it stopped buying aluminium from Russia
Boeing stopped buying aluminium from Russia earlier this year as Moscow was hit by Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine, the company said late last night.
“Boeing suspended purchasing aluminium from Russia in March, as we suspended major operations in Russia,” it said in a statement.
Russia is the world’s second largest producer of aluminium after China, as it provides 6 per cent of the global output, around 70 million tonnes per year.
The manufacturer said it was sourcing its aluminium – a fundamental component of a plane’s structure due to its high resistance to corrosion and good weight to strength ratio – from other countries.
“We source aluminium from around the world, including in the US,” Boeing added.
This is the second time the US planemaker was forced to halt the purchase of a metal from Russia. In March Boeing stopped buying titanium, which is used to make the latest generation of planes.
Boeing has trimmed its projected demand, expecting to deliver 41,170 planes for the next 20 years. This was in contrast to previous forecasts of more than 43,000 deliveries.
Expected to be stable, delivery forecasts excluded the Russian market as Boeing is still unsure of when it could sell again to Russian carriers.