[Announcement] Open letter to the Government of the Netherlands, Airbus SE’s domicile, calling for scrutiny of Airbus’ business with AVIC, which continues to transfer aircraft and associated equipment to the criminal Myanmar military junta

February 5, 2025

To:

Caspar Veldkamp, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Dirk Beljaarts, Minister of Economic Affairs

Eelco Heinen, Minister of Finance

Re: Airbus’ business relationship with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)

During the four years after the February 2021 attempted coup in Myanmar, the military junta continues to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and other gross human rights abuses against the people of Myanmar with impunity. This campaign of terror is only possible through the junta’s continued access to arms, including combat aircraft, and related technical maintenance, repair, and overhaul assistance.

A key supplier of military aircraft and maintenance to the junta is the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

As you will surely be aware, Airbus is a key investor and partner of AVIC. With ongoing credible documentation and reporting at the United Nations of the human rights crisis in Myanmar and the role of AVIC in supplying arms to the junta, Airbus must know that its collaboration with AVIC is highly problematic. Yet Airbus has maintained its collaboration with AVIC, as well as its investments in multiple AVIC subsidiaries through the Hong Kong publicly listed company, AviChina Industry & Technology Company Limited(AviChina).

Airbus is the biggest international shareholder of AviChina. As such, Airbus has significant influence over AviChina’s strategic business decisions.

AviChina’s most recent annual report (for fiscal year 2022-2023) states that the company “principally operates through its subsidiaries” and that AviChina group is “mainly engaged in the development, manufacture, sales and upgrade of civil aviation products and defense products such as provision of helicopters, trainer aircraft, general-purpose aircraft and regional jets for domestic and overseas customers; and the co-development and manufacture of aviation products with foreign aviation products manufacturers.” The group’s principal products include the K-8 trainer aircraft and the Y-12 multipurpose aircraft, according to the same annual report. Both aircraft have been commissioned by the Myanmar military since its coup attempt and continue to be frequently documented in use for airstrikes on civilians.

We note that due to the unacceptable risks that AviChina supplies the Myanmar junta with military aircraft and associated arms and material, several Dutch institutional investors have proceeded to altogether exclude AviChina from their portfolios. We also note that the Netherlands continues to play key role in advancing international discussions – including at the United Nations, the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development – that promote corporate respect for human rights, and corporate accountability for human rights harms.

Moreover, Airbus is taking a risk by providing financial support to a junta arms dealer, as Myanmar has been subject to a European arms embargo. This restriction, renewed in 2018 by the Member States, specifies that it is forbidden for a European entity to:

“Provide financing or financial assistance related to military activities, including in particular grants, loans and export credit insurance for any sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related materiel, as well as equipment which might be used for internal repression, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering and other services directly or indirectly to any person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma”.

In other words, by owning shares in AviChina, Airbus could be in violation of the arms embargo, which your government is responsible for implementing.

Airbus is legally domiciled in your country. Because of this fact alone, and in light of your commitments to advance business respect for human rights, we consider that your Government has a particularly important role to play in ensuring that Airbus assumes its responsibility to respect human rights across its entire value chain.

We, the undersigned organisations, urge your Government to take meaningful and concrete action to block the Myanmar military junta’s access to military aircraft, spare parts and related maintenance, repair and overhaul services which continue to be provided to the junta by AVIC subsidiaries and partners.

We specifically ask you to:

1) Ensure that Airbus acts in accordance with its human rights responsibilities by using its leverage to stop AVIC’s business with the Myanmar military.

2) Ensure that Airbus takes steps to divest from AviChina and end its business relationship with AVIC if transfers of AVIC aircraft, associated equipment and support to Myanmar continue.

Sincerely,

361 international and local revolutionary groups, and civil society organisations

To download the pdf file for the Open Letter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/109pAvqAN5vWVdU5Xt1Qagic_JniuBis4/view?usp=drive_link