# The Brize Norton case: 12 documented facts

> Twelve documented facts about the Brize Norton protest and the case against six accused, with sources, covering the planes, the damage figures, the National Security Act and the Palestine Action ban.

- URL: https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/brize-norton-documented-facts
- Published: 2026-11-08
- Author: Investigations Desk, The Brize Norton Files
- Topics: The case, Explainers

## Key points

- AirTanker Ltd, not the Ministry of Defence, owns the Voyager tankers damaged on 20 June 2025.
- The Ministry of Defence could not substantiate the £1.7 million to £15 million and £7 million damage figures under Freedom of Information requests.
- Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023 does not require a foreign power to be proved. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.
- Flight tracking counts 590 Gaza surveillance flights by three RAF Shadow R1 callsigns, the last on 25 July 2025.
- The first five accused will have spent about 18 months on remand by the trial date of 25 January 2027.

The trial of the six accused is due to begin at Woolwich Crown Court on 25 January 2027, and the first five will have spent about 18 months on remand by then. All six deny the charges.

## 1. The Voyagers are owned by AirTanker, not the RAF

The Voyager tankers are listed as owned by AirTanker Ltd, not by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The MoD pays for their capacity under a private finance initiative (PFI) contract, a long-term deal in which a company pays for and runs a service the government pays back over many years. The contract was signed in March 2008. Sources: Flightradar24 fleet listing; UK Parliament, Public Accounts Committee (2010). See [AirTanker and the PFI contract](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/airtanker-voyager-pfi-contract).

## 2. The damage figures have not been substantiated

Prosecutors have said repair costs reached £1.7 million and could rise to just under £15 million. Police put the damage at about £7 million. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by Declassified UK found the MoD could not substantiate any of these figures. Source: Declassified UK, 13 November 2025. See [the damage figures](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/brize-norton-damage-cost-figures).

## 3. Both planes were said to be back within 21 days

AirTanker's chief executive, Mark Alexander, said on The High Ground podcast that both planes were recovered "in less than 21 days". Flight tracking shows ZZ338 flying again on 1 July 2025 and ZZ343 on 12 July, which is 22 days after the protest. Tracking shows flights, not the date a plane was declared operational, so the two measures are not the same. The prosecution has not set out what the repairs involved. See [the return to service](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/voyagers-back-in-service-21-days).

## 4. The first use of the National Security Act against a domestic protest group

Research for this site finds this is the first time the National Security Act 2023 has been used against a domestic protest group. The Act's use in this way is not fully understood, because very few people have been charged with its offences. Charge details come from press reporting of the hearings, not the indictment, so the exact counts may be refined before trial. See [the National Security Act charge](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/national-security-act-section-4-protest).

## 5. No foreign power needs to be proved

Section 4 of the National Security Act requires entry to a prohibited place for a purpose the defendant knows, or ought reasonably to know, is prejudicial to the UK. Unlike sections 1, 12 and 13 of the Act, it does not require a foreign power condition to be met. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. Source: National Security Act 2023, section 4.

## 6. Surveillance flights over Gaza total 590

An independent flight-tracking analysis counts 590 Gaza flights by three RAF Shadow R1 surveillance callsigns, the last on 25 July 2025. The MoD says the flights are "solely to locate hostages", but the government has refused to say what intelligence was gathered or who it was shared with. Declassified UK has reported a later total of 606. See [the surveillance flights](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/raf-shadow-r1-surveillance-flights-gaza).

## 7. Israeli refuelling planes landed eleven days before the protest

An Israeli Air Force (IAF) Re'em, a Boeing 707 used for air-to-air refuelling, was on the ground at Brize Norton for over 13 hours on 9 June 2025. The government admitted in February 2024 that nine IAF planes had used British territory since 7 October 2023. Drop Site News reports that some of these planes went on to refuel Israeli fighter jets bombing Gaza. The claim that RAF Voyagers refuelled Israeli jets is contested, and it is not established here. See [the Israeli planes at Brize Norton](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/israeli-air-force-planes-brize-norton) and [whether Voyagers could refuel Israeli jets](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/could-raf-voyagers-refuel-israeli-jets).

## 8. ZZ343 landed hours before the protest

Flight tracking shows ZZ343 landing at Brize Norton from Akrotiri at 13:57 on 19 June 2025. The protest took place in the early hours of 20 June. The MoD told Declassified UK that the plane was undergoing routine maintenance and was not in regular service. Maintenance may have begun on landing, so this does not prove the statement false, but the MoD has not explained the flight. See [the flight records](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/voyagers-zz338-zz343-flight-records).

## 9. A Parliamentary committee said the PFI did not secure value for money

In 2010 the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Margaret Hodge, a Member of Parliament (MP), said that using PFI to procure the £10.5 billion Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) project "was inappropriate and, in the view of this Committee, has not secured value for money". It also said it "took the Department over nine years to negotiate a PFI contract". Source: UK Parliament, Public Accounts Committee (2010).

## 10. The RAF paid £150 million a plane, against an estimated £50 million

The BBC reported that the Voyager aircraft cost three times more than anticipated. It cited contracts seen by Newsnight suggesting the planes "could have been purchased for £50m each". Instead, the RAF paid £150 million for each plane under a leasing agreement. Source: BBC News, citing BBC Newsnight.

## 11. The accused have been on remand for about 18 months

All six accused are held on pre-trial remand, and none has been convicted. The first five pleaded not guilty in January 2026. The first five will have spent about 18 months in prison by the time of trial. See [the prisoners and their treatment](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/brize-norton-prisoners-remand-hunger-strike).

## 12. The High Court ruled the Palestine Action ban unlawful, then the Court of Appeal reinstated it

On 13 February 2026 the High Court ruled the ban on Palestine Action unlawful and disproportionate, but the ruling stayed in place pending appeal. In June 2026 the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling, finding the ban "justified and proportionate", and the ban was reinstated on 15 June. The Supreme Court heard the final appeal on 4–5 November 2026. See [the ban on Palestine Action](https://www.brizenortonfiles.com/articles/palestine-action-ban-brize-norton).

## Questions and answers

**Who owns the Voyager planes damaged at RAF Brize Norton?**

AirTanker Ltd owns them, not the Ministry of Defence. The MoD pays for the capacity under a private finance initiative contract signed in March 2008.

**What is the National Security Act charge in the Brize Norton case?**

The six accused are charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK, under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023. No foreign state or foreign interference needs to be proved.

**When is the Brize Norton trial?**

The trial is due to begin on 25 January 2027 at Woolwich Crown Court, and no verdict has been reached.

## Sources

1. [How much damage did Palestine Action really do at Brize Norton?](https://www.declassifieduk.org/how-much-damage-did-palestine-action-really-do-at-brize-norton/) — Declassified UK, 2025-11-13
2. [Booms, probes & PFIs: future of UK air refuelling (interview with Mark Alexander, CEO of AirTanker)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=offISG_aZF4) — The High Ground (podcast), 2025-09-25
3. [Israeli Air Force aircraft landing at RAF Brize Norton under Labour](https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/revealed-uk-labour-israeli-military-planes-land-gaza) — Drop Site News
4. [High Court rules proscription of Palestine Action unlawful](https://gardencourtchambers.co.uk/high-court-rules-proscription-of-palestine-action-unlawful/) — Garden Court Chambers, 2026-02-13
5. [Five pro-Palestinian activists plead not guilty over UK air base break-in](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/16/five-pro-palestinian-activists-plead-not-guilty-over-uk-air-base-break-in) — Al Jazeera, 2026-01-16
6. Public Accounts Committee (2010) — UK Parliament
7. Flightradar24 flight histories — Flightradar24
8. National Security Act 2023 — UK legislation