"UK MoD. Ever heard the old expression "thumb up bum and mind in neutral" ???"
Merlinxx, what a let down. Here in the dark continent we have always looked up to you guy's, believing that your best practises would somehow someday rub off.
Please understand again, no problem with the flights and commodities, just seriously agrieved that the worst of the worst seems to be getting the contracts, as if for reward for all the mayhem and destruction that their flying has in the past caused all over the world. There are other worthy, honourable and capable operators that can also perform these tasks.
In South Africa similar flights are farmed out by the DoD through an "ostensibly" transparent tender process. This for peacekeeping operations accross Africa which anyway get funded by you "sometimes gullible" Europeans. We have long ago given up tendering to perform such peacekeeping support flights at clearly lower prices than selfcost. Only when we studied the extra "have to ask for to see" fine print did we notice provisions for claiming extra charges afterwards. The same lot seem to be awarded the flights every time at clearly below self cost but then claim their "substantial profits" as aditional expenses afterwards.
This tender process is fundamentaly flawed.
Clearly if there is a propensity by the British MoD to favour the same group of service providers and even reward these dubious air companies, something is seriously wrong not necessary with the organisation, but perhaps rather a clique of persons or perhaps old-boys. It would be unfair to generalise.
For evil to truimph - good men merely have to do nothing. Speak out and protest where you can. Instead of rewarding these people with government contracts they should be banned from EU skies - just like their predecessors (and former companys) were.
One of the mod's recently pointed out that this has been covered in the media before and is a worn topic - clearly it made no impact and not so worn at all as the practise is continuing with impunity and unabated still todayl.