The EU has reduced its titanium imports from Russia by 22% year-on-year to 2,461 tonnes in the first five months of 2024, according to Eurostat.
In May, supplies increased by a third compared to April to 578 tonnes. France increased imports by 3.4 times to 266.6 tonnes, Italy – more than 2 times to 32.3 tonnes, Germany – by 20% to 213 tonnes.
The EU has reduced its titanium imports from Russia by 22% year-on-year to 2,461 tonnes in the first five months of 2024
Major aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus have previously announced plans to abandon Russian titanium. The EU has not banned imports, but the US has included Russian corporation VSMPO-Avisma in the export control list, which requires licenses for export transactions.
In 2021, VSMPO-Avisma produced about 90% of Russian titanium ingots. Titanium imports from Russia to the EU in 2023 decreased by 20% to 6,410 tons. After the start of the SVO, VSMPO-Avisma met up to 65% of Airbus and 35% of Boeing’s titanium needs.
Experts note that the EU is unable to certify titanium supplies for the aviation industry from alternative suppliers in full. The EU’s complete rejection of Russian titanium is possible in 5-7 years. The increase in supplies in May may be due to high demand for titanium in machine-building enterprises in France and Italy.