Brit holidaymakers travelling from a major airport could face major delays if RAF plans to launch military drones from a nearby base go ahead, bosses have warned. The RAF has announced plans to launch US-made drones from RAF Fairford, its Gloucestershire base, "two to three times per week", a move airport chiefs have said could have disastrous consequences for UK flights. The base will soon start flying RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones, but to do so, it must sever a flight path used by Birmingham Airport.
The path is used by multiple airlines to carry thousands of people to and from the airport several times a week, and, without it, Birmingham bosses say flights could be extended by hundreds of miles. Managers have written to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which coordinates UK airspace, with airline representatives following suit in outlining their own fears.
Letters seen by the Daily Telegraph outline fears from senior airport managers that blocking the airport flight path could also delay flights for up to 20 minutes. Joining the group in highlighting concerns, Ryanair representatives added the USAD plans could delay up to 2,800 passengers.
Routing around the blocked out flight path would also affect up to 15 flights, with the additional time spent in the air wasting up to nine tonnes of fuel and causing 34 tonnes of extra CO2 emissions. Jet2 has also voiced concerns about its own flights, saying its journeys from Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands could face similar 20-minute delays as planes fly an additional 145 miles.
