Ascension Island (Hansard, 12 July 1999)

§ Mr. Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason he has decided not to charge the United States for the use of Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island for civil charter flights. [90521]

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
The United States Base on Ascension is provided free from rent and charges under the terms of the 1956 Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States America Concerning the Extension of the Bahamas Long Range Proving Ground by the Establishment of the Additional Sites in Ascension Island, as amended. The Base is used by the United States Space Command.
The 1956 Agreement provides that commercial aircraft shall not be authorised to operate from any of the Sites except in accordance with the provision of an agreement between the UK and US Governments. We are shortly to begin negotiating an Agreement with the US Government which would allow the use of Wideawake by civil flights not engaged in scheduled international air services. This will not affect either the United Kingdom's or the United States' use of Wideawake for military purposes.
Our proposals anticipate that any civil airline operator who wished to use Wideawake would be expected to pay to do so. If, after amending the 1956 Agreement to allow civil flights into Ascension, a United States carrier did 54W wish to operate civil charter flights to the airfield, we anticipate that they would be charged the same rate as other civil operators.

§ Mr. Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy to allow countries, other than the United States of America, the use of Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island for civil charter flights. [90522]

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
The United States Base on Ascension is provided under the terms of the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America Concerning the Extension of the Bahamas Long Range Proving Ground by the Establishment of the Additional Sites in Ascension Island, as amended. This Agreement entered into force in 1956.
We are shortly to begin negotiating a further Agreement with the US Government which would allow the use of Wideawake by civil flights not engaged in scheduled international air services. Subject to this, we would envisage also allowing civil air operators from countries other than the UK or US to use Wideawake.