[Announcement] Open letter to the governments of France, Germany and Spain, shareholders of Airbus SE, calling for Airbus to use its leverage to stop AVIC’s continued transfers of aircraft and associated equipment to the criminal Myanmar military junta, or divest

January 21, 2025

Announcement : Open letter to the governments of France, Germany and Spain, shareholders of Airbus SE, calling for Airbus to use its leverage to stop AVIC’s continued transfers of aircraft and associated equipment to the criminal Myanmar military junta, or divest

To:

Antoine Armand, Minister of the Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France

Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France

Christian Lindner, Federal Minister of Finance of Germany

Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany

Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany

María Jesús Montero, First Vice President and Minister of Finance of Spain

José Manuel Albares, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain

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

Almost 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 total 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 years 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 welcome your Governments’ repeated condemnation of the Myanmar military’s ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, we are of the view that these condemnations are seriously undermined, if not even contradicted, by Airbus’ significant financial and technical collaboration with AVIC. As shareholders in Airbus, you have an independent responsibility to ensure that Airbus’ financial and strategic links do not enable atrocity crimes in Myanmar.

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 governments are responsible for implementing.

We, the undersigned organizations, urge you, as shareholders in Airbus, 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,

343 international and local revolutionary groups, and civil society organizations

To download the full open letter: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1Rxl1XohMgq8JEKys6jXfBoPJ7pINKD9F