Roadster,
If you re-read the very 1st post of this thread, you will note:
Sir Michael, a former Chief of the Air Staff, said with fighters already committed to defending UK air space and operations in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and the Falklands, the RAF would be badly stretched to take on a new campaign.
The RAF is short of pilots and navigators, while the longer the campaign carried on, the more wear and tear would hit the reliability of the ageing Tornados, he said.
Which means it isn't 6 ac required from a pot of 59, its 6 for Iraq plus (x) for AFG plus (y) for Nigeria. Added to the airframe management is the lack of aircrew problem, which has already been mentioned.
Back to the BA analogy with lack of crews to man aircraft. Good luck with a recruiting campaign that starts with the expectation of being away from family and friends for 6 months each year in a sh1t hole, sharing a room with a pilot who snores and having to walk down the corridor for a p1ss and a shower matched to rates of pay that are non-negotiable for a period of several years etc.....