Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative). It was answered by Lord Drayson (Labour) on Monday, 8 January 2007.

Iraq and Afghanistan: Troop Transport

Question: What progress has been made in improving the air bridge for transporting troops to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Answer: My Lords, I am sure that the whole House will wish to join me in offering sincere condolences to the families and friends of all those killed and injured in operations over the Recess. Troop movement is generally working well. Between April and December 2006, 80 per cent of strategic air transport flights were on time or delayed by less than three hours. For Iraq this figure was86 per cent and for Afghanistan it was 75 per cent. Recent improvements include refurbishing the runway at Kandahar airfield, which was completed in November 2006. This now allows troops to fly direct rather than via Kabul, which reduces journey times and increases C130 availability.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 688 c1
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: Lead
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Armed forces Iraq Peacekeeping operations Military aircraft Transport Afghanistan
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk