Britain’s largest defense contractor, BAE Systems, which announced record profits this year, has caused the revoking of flight certificates for 12 cargo planes used to deliver emergency food supplies to Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Chad, Central African Republic, and other African areas suffering war, drought, and famine. The bulk of the food shipments to these areas are provided by the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) and its Nairobi-based contractor, EnComm Aviation. EnComm operates this fleet of Advanced Turbo Prop planes which are perfectly designed to deliver heavy loads to remote airstrips with very short runways.
BAE has cancelled several contracts including with the World Food Program to provide ground support and maintenance for the cargo fleet, resulting in their flight licenses being revoked. EnComm is taking legal action against BAE and its senior leadership, which has left a paper trail of emails promising to maintain the aircraft for five years.
