Pilatus banned from supplying services on Arabian Peninsula
The Swiss directorate of political affairs at the federal department of foreign affairs (FDFA) has reviewed the services supplied by Pilatus Aircraft in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Jordan, which include technical support, replacement parts management and rectifying faults affecting the PC-21 aircraft.
These services qualify as logistical support for armed forces and must therefore be declared in accordance with the federal act on private security services provided abroad. After having investigated the matter, the FDFA has concluded that support services to the armed forces of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are incompatible with Swiss foreign policy objectives.
The FDFA has therefore called for these services to be discontinued and filed a report with the attorney general’s office. (ah)