As to the irony of civilian airlift taking troops to and from theaters of war (a observation on page 1), the US has been doing that for some time, decades even. When I deployed to the ME in 2004, it was on a chartered civilian jet with a few hundred other servicemen.

When I was assigned to NATO in the 90's, I was transported oversea on a chartered civvy flight out of Philly with a few hundred other servicemen bound for Europe.

That aircraft developed leaks in the AC unit that soaked the carpet in the first eight rows, but it got to each place (Rota, Naples, Sig) more or less on time.

But they didn't land in a hostile environment though....

....you've obviously never been to Sig! :ok:

Fair point....:}

I very much doubt it Beags as in 50 weeks there will be no one left to fly them.

When I was posted to RAF Germany in 1962, I was flown to Geilenkirchen in a British United Hermes from Gatwick.

I was sent to the Falklands in 1996 as a civvie to carry out an inspection of the Bristow operation, we took off from Brize in a Tristar and after an hour or so we had to return to Brize, we were accomodated at 4am in the barracks, obviously prepared for a big influx. We flew out the next night without problems.

Nothing new under the sun!