Britain’s largest weapons producer, BAE Programs, has quietly scrapped help for a fleet of plane offering “life-saving” humanitarian help to a few of the world’s poorest nations.
The choice additional reduces the distribution of important help to nations going through critical humanitarian crises, together with South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
BAE Programs introduced file income this 12 months of greater than £3bn, buoyed by elevated defence spending linked to the Israel-Gaza battle and Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
The choice to scrap help for the help plane is believed to have been made to ensure that the defence agency to pursue tasks associated to Nato members’ 5% enhance in spending on arms.
A number of main humanitarian contracts have been cancelled because the choice, together with one with the UN’s World Meals Programme (WFP) to fly help to 12 locations throughout Somalia the place nearly 5 million folks face “disaster” ranges of starvation.
The developments comply with a call by BAE Programs to voluntarily give up the kind certificates issued by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority for the Superior Turbo-Prop (ATP), thereby revoking the airworthiness of its final business plane mannequin.
BAE knowledgeable the European Union Aviation Security Company that these fashions had been “now not produced and that, to their data, solely few aircrafts are being operated”.
EnComm’s ATP fleet delivered almost 18,700 tonnes of help to the area from 2023 to final month. {Photograph}: EnComm Aviation
Although a number of nations have the ATP nonetheless registered, the final recognized operator was EnComm Aviation, a Kenyan air-cargo operator that specialised in delivering humanitarian help throughout east Africa.
Jackton Obuola, EnComm Aviation’s director, stated: “The help our plane delivered offered a lifeline to the folks of South Sudan, Somalia and the DRC at a time of nice world instability.
“BAE’s choice to immediately withdraw help for all our planes has grounded the fleet and minimize off important provides to these most in want. Now, the folks of east Africa face an more and more perilous scenario whereas BAE prioritise their very own business pursuits.”
Between March 2023 and final month, EnComm Aviation’s plane delivered 18,677 tonnes of help to Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Chad.
The WFP estimates that one tonne of meals – normally cereals, pulses and oil – can meet the day by day wants of about 1,660 folks.
BAE’s ATP was thought of ultimate for humanitarian missions as a result of it might function on the shorter airstrips which can be widespread in distant places. Every plane might carry a payload of 8.2 tonnes (18,077lb).
A pre-action letter despatched by legal professionals performing for EnComm to BAE Programs, dated 13 October 2025, says that, because the choice, its 12 help plane “can’t be operated” and are actually “nugatory for his or her meant function”.
The letter references emails and conferences between BAE’s senior management and EnComm Aviation that the Nairobi-based agency claims reveals that it was led to consider BAE would offer continued help for its ATP for at the least 5 years.
Displaced folks watch for help at a camp in Somalia, the place 4.6m persons are going through disaster ranges of starvation and 1.8m youngsters beneath 5 are acutely malnourished. {Photograph}: Gary Calton/Observer
Despatched by the London legal professionals White & Case, the correspondence provides that the choice was taken “with none session with or formal discover to EnComm”.
A BAE Programs spokesperson stated: “We don’t touch upon potential litigation.”
Correspondence from BAE Programs, in the meantime, reveals that its choice to withdraw the airworthiness certificates for the ATP is “everlasting and irreversible”.
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A letter from the defence agency’s head of regional plane programmes, dated 27 Could 2025, stated the agency meant to tell the UK Civil Aviation Authority it needed to “begin the method to voluntarily give up the plane sort certificates for the BAE ATP. The target being to finish this exercise by December 2026.”
Amongst a number of humanitarian contracts that EnComm has needed to cancel is a 10-year settlement to function within the DRC.
One other entails WFP Somalia, with EnComm’s plane as a result of be primarily based at two airports and 4 airstrips, the place they might transport meals to areas the place the nation’s meals scarcity is formally classed as a disaster. The contract, seen by the Guardian and agreed to run from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, has been cancelled.
Gutted Pink Cross automobiles lie amid particles after a UN World Meals Programme depot was looted when M23 rebels seized Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in February. {Photograph}: Getty
In response to the UN, 4.6 million persons are going through disaster ranges of starvation in Somalia, whereas 1.8 million youngsters aged beneath 5 are affected by acute malnutrition.
In South Sudan – the place EnComm flew to 12 totally different locations – the UN’s Meals and Agriculture Organisation has warned that some areas are sliding into famine.
In whole, 7.7 million folks throughout South Sudan face acute meals insecurity – greater than half all the inhabitants – with 2.3 million youngsters malnourished.
Farther south – within the DRC – a file 27.7 million persons are experiencing acute starvation amid battle linked to large displacement, local weather disaster and rising meals costs.
The scenario is worst in its jap provinces – North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika – the place households have misplaced entry to their livelihoods after extended battle within the area.
EnComm’s contract for the nation concerned flights to 11 locations together with town of Goma, which was seized by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels firstly of the 12 months.
Since BAE signalled its intention over the plane, EnComm Aviation has closed operations in Kenya. It’s now searching for £187m in losses and damages claiming “negligent misrepresentation and misstatement” by BAE.
Analysts count on BAE system’s income to extend additional this 12 months because it advantages from elevated navy spending globally amid rising instability.
