HL Deb 23 May 1994 vol 555 c26WA
The Earl of Munster

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the cost of the chartered BA flight to Yemen which returned evacuees to the United Kingdom; and whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office put the charter out to tender.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

The cost of using the British Airways aircraft to evacuate British and other nationals from Sana'a on 9 May was £100,000. Because of the urgency of the situation there was no opportunity for tendering. As is normal in such circumstances, a proportionate share of the cost of using the aircraft is being recovered from those who were evacuated.

The evacuation was a very successful operation, carried out professionally and efficiently, and which brought a large number of people to safety from difficult circumstances.

The Earl of Munster

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether British Airways discounted the cost of the flight which returned to the United Kingdom from Yemen in view of the fact that a British Airways crew was among those stranded in Sana'a.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

The price was based only on the direct operating costs of evacuating non-British Airways employees from Sana'a on 9 May. This included the cost of maintaining an aircraft in a state of permanent readiness from Friday 6 May to Monday 9 May inclusive; relief crew positioning at Larnaca and reception arrangements at Gatwick.