#ASCENSION ISLAND FLIGHTS FROM UK MOD#

#ASCENSION ISLAND FLIGHTS FROM UK MOD#

This is an officer of Squadron Leader/Major rank selected from amongst the passenegrs who will act as the link between the passengers and crew in the event of any problems, and also makes a report for the MOD to ensure the charter airline is delivering what they should be. Once moved through security, provided by the RAF Police you wait in the basic departure lounge where there is a small coffee shop, kids play area (for the families of servicemen who accompany them to various postings) and a glass wall giving a great view of the airfeld where some seriously unusual types can be seen including L-1011, VC-10, C-130, C-17.Įventually an RAF serviceman will announce who the Passenger Reporting Officer is. Being a military chartered flight from a military airfield does mean that there is no liquids ban so you can take your own water on board for once! Check in closes 3 hours before take off and I did see some civilian passengers turned away- a very expensive mistake to make when the flight is around £2000 rtn. You might also find it odd to see people in combat uniform everywhere, saluting each other and some may be disturbed by the armed troops on the gate and the possibility that the person in front of you has just checked in a bundle of assault rifles! First, you must remember it is an active military base, not a normal airport and entry can only be granted to people with a valid reason for being there and plenty of ID. Travelling from Brize Norton is nothing new for me but for civilians it can be a bit of an odd experience. The vast majority of passengers on this route are UK military personnel on tour of duty in the Falklands or Ascension but some seats are sold to the general public. The two legs of the flight were around 8 hours each with a 90 minute stop at Ascension Island. The service is provided by a Portugese charter outfit called HiFly using an A340-300 CS-TQL. It used to be operated and flown by the RAF in a Tristar or VC10 but current commitments mean it is contracted out by the MOD.

This was the British Ministry of Defence South Atlantic Charter from RAF Brize Norton serving the bases on Ascension and the Falkland Islands. Please note, no non-public domain operational information is divulged in this report. I recently went to the Falklands with work (I am in the RAF) and this is how it happened.

Apologies if I have made any mistakes with the upload. My first post here after many years of telling myself I should do a TR, so to make up for all that lurking I have a slightly unusual one for you.

Ascension island flights from uk