Planemaker Pilatus banned from operating in Saudi Arabia, UAE

Switzerland on Wednesday Switzerland has banned planemaker Pilatus from operating in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after it found that the Swiss company had provided “logistical support” to the armed forces of both countries, which are waging a war against Yemen, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported

The Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement that the behavior of “Pilatus” in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “is against to the foreign policy objectives of the federal government,” without given further details.

The Saudi Air Force and the UAE have formed key parts of the coalition that has been bombing Yemen since 2015, a campaign that has partly provoked what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe.

The Saudi-led campaign was hit last week when Britain temporarily suspended approval of new weapons export licenses to Riyadh that may be used against civilians in Yemen.

In 2017, Pilatus signed a five-year maintenance contract on a fleet of 55 aircraft sold to the Saudi army, while the UAE purchased 25 aircraft from the company used to train pilots.

The State Department said in a statement that the company’s work in the two countries amounts to “technical support, management of spare parts and correction of errors affecting the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft”.

“These services are considered logistical support for the armed forces and must be stopped,” the statement said, adding that the company has been granted 90 days to withdraw from both countries.

E.M