§ Mr. Donald Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any civil airports in Scotland have been authorised for use by United States Air Force fighter planes or bombers.
§ Mr. Stanley[pursuant to his reply, 15 May 1986, c. 546]: United States Air Force combat aircraft were authorised to use Edinburgh airport for transit purposes as part of a routine NATO exercise which took place from 3 March to 16 March 1986. No other civil airport in Scotland has been authorised recently for actual use by United States combat aircraft. Contingency plans for transition to war envisage the use of a number of civil airports in Scotland by the United States Air Force, as well as elsewhere in the United Kingdom, but the details are classified.