§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the military flying parade over central London to mark the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Mother; and what assessment was made of the risks posed in flying vintage planes over London in the display.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe three services have a funded allocation of flying hours for training and display purposes, and the flypast to mark the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Mother was covered by these allocations. There were therefore no additional costs to the defence budget.
The risks involved in flying vintage aircraft over London were considered most carefully. Given that all the pilots involved were fully operational squadron pilots with extensive flying experience, and that the aircraft are maintained to the highest standards, the risks were assessed to be minimal.