HC Deb 14 February 1983 vol 37 c36W
Mr. Hill

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the average length of time taken for forces post to reach the Falklands;

(2) whether mail to Her Majesty's forces in the Falkland Islands is being flown direct from Brize Norton.

Mr. Wiggin

Air mail is flown from RAF Brize Norton or RAF Lyneham via Ascension Island and takes an average of four days to reach the Falkland Islands from posting in a civil post office in the United Kingdom. Sea mail is in practice generally sent by air, but it may have to wait until cargo space is available. If demand for other air cargo is foreseen to be particularly heavy, sea mail will travel some or all of the way by ship. Average delivery time for sea mail is 2–4 weeks.