A European aircraft manufacturer, Aircraft Industries, delivered at least four Let 410 aircraft to Myanmar’s military junta between September 2024 and October 2025, despite European Union sanctions prohibiting arms sales and the export of goods with potential military applications to the country. The deliveries, revealed jointly by Le Monde and the British investigative NGO Center for Information Resilience’s Myanmar Witness project, raise questions about the enforcement of EU restrictions and the extent to which European companies are contributing to the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.
The EU imposed sanctions on Myanmar following the military’s coup in February 2021, which ousted the democratically elected government and triggered widespread protests and armed resistance. The ensuing civil war has claimed over 75,000 lives, according to sources within Myanmar. While the EU prohibits the sale of weapons, the restrictions also extend to “dual-utilize” items – goods that can serve both civilian and military purposes. The Let 410, a versatile short-range transport aircraft, falls into this category, capable of carrying passengers, functioning as an ambulance, or being adapted for troop and equipment transport, as well as surveillance operations.
Aircraft Industries initially obscured data regarding the aircraft’s flight paths, but open-source data confirms their arrival in Yangon, Myanmar. When contacted by Le Monde, the company acknowledged the deliveries but asserted that the planes are being used solely for civilian purposes, maintaining compliance with European regulations. However, evidence gathered by Le Monde and Myanmar Witness contradicts this claim, indicating the aircraft are being utilized by the Myanmar Air Force.
This is not an isolated incident of foreign companies supplying Myanmar’s military. Austria-based Diamond Aircraft Industries, part of the Diamond Group, has reportedly provided components for the assembly of DART-450 surveillance aircraft and trained military personnel in their production and operation, also in apparent violation of EU sanctions. Investigations by Justice For Myanmar and Info Birmanie have revealed that the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a close partner and investor of Airbus, has supplied as many as eight new aircraft to the junta, including Hongdu K-8 light attack aircraft, FTC-2000G light combat aircraft, and Shaanxi Y-8 military transport planes. These aircraft have been used extensively in airstrikes against civilian populations, resulting in at least 1749 civilian deaths between February 2021 and August 2024.
Justice For Myanmar and Info Birmanie have called on Airbus to leverage its influence over AVIC to halt the supply of military aircraft and related services to Myanmar, or to divest from AVIC-controlled entities if AVIC refuses to comply. Concerns have also been raised regarding the continued availability of aviation fuel to the junta, despite a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution urging member states to prevent its export. The junta continues to circumvent restrictions through intermediary networks and trading companies in countries like Vietnam, Singapore, and China.
As of February 25, 2026, Airbus has publicly denied any wrongdoing regarding its relationship with AVIC, and Aircraft Industries maintains its position that the delivered aircraft are being used for civilian purposes. No further public statements regarding the deliveries have been issued by the European Union.
