You do have to wonder at the naivety of the London Airport people who apparently asked whether the Covert Oxonian Aerodrome could accept some civil passenger flights during the recent snowstorms!
From the
Witney Gazette:
Base could not help
3:08pm Tuesday 21st December 2010
HEATHROW airport bosses asked RAF Brize Norton if it could take some passenger flights during the snow storms.
The base turned down an official request from Heathrow Airport on Saturday, because it needed to concentrate on its military efforts.
Last night, teams were still trying to defrost planes and clear the base of snow in preparation for the return of hundreds of troops for Christmas.
Group Captain Dom Stamp said the base had to refuse the request.
He said: “We were not able to take any from them, because we simply would not have the ability to park them and to handle them, and obviously our output was what was crucial to us, our military output, providing the air bridge (link to Afghanistan), so we had to concentrate on that.”
There are about 23 vehicles and 20 staff keeping the runways clear, and the base has 80,000 litres of de-icer in reserve.
Staff cannot use grit or rock salt because of the damage it could cause to aircraft engines.
RAF Brize Norton uses its on-site weather station, which gives round-the-clock updates on air and runway temperatures, wind speeds, and visibility Gp Capt Stamp added: “Every single person at Brize Norton understands the crucial support that we provide to operations, and in particular the need to pull out all the stops to bring back personnel who are looking forward so much to spending Christmas with their families and loved ones."
“As the RAF’s busiest airport, it was absolutely vital we were well prepared."
“This preparation, and the excellent job that my people have undertaken, has proven to be vital in overcoming the severe weather conditions experienced so far this winter.”
The TriStar problem, plus the recent bad weather, will no doubt be stretching everyone's efforts to get as many people home for Christmas as they can. Attempting to handle civil aircraft at very short notice would clearly have been impossible; one wonders whether the 'Heathrow Airport bosses' have the slightest clue about the differences between military and civil aerodrome facilities or infrastructure.
Hope the TriStars are soon cleared to resume flights!