Why RAF Boscombe Down?

[Gus0898uk]

For the Coronavirus flight from Japan, why is it going to Boscombe Down? Is it because it is near to Porton Down?
It is then a very long coach journey for the passengers/patients to The Wirral.

[anthony martin]

Yes ,my thoughts exactly

[graham luxton]

Boscombe Down isn't an RAF station - its an MOD facility.

[Gus0898uk]

That may be, but the media are naming the airfield as RAF Boscombe Down, perhaps now you can answer my original question, why is the flight landing at MOD Boscombe Down then?

[mudhen15]

My guess, so the experts from Porton Down can quickly assess the passengers.

[C24]

Could be to reduce the risk to a large RAF station community.

[andrewn]

Probably because there's very little else going on there, unlike at Brize.

[Snoop 95]

This indeed a strange choice on the face of it. It will be a Government charter and perhaps the aircraft operator or aircraft type will give us a clue. It's also a Saturday and most RAF stations are on minimum staffing and this flight will require specialist reception staff. Hopefully things will become clearer in due course.

[Richard E]

Could be to reduce the risk to a large RAF station community.

Agreed, perhaps the "powers that be" have determined that the returnees from the Diamond Princess are at a higher risk of being infected/infectious than those evacuated from Wuhan so handling the flight at Boscombe Down protects the community at Brize Norton and the station's ability to support 24/7/365 operations.

[Del]

If it needs to be parked up and deep cleaned, then maybe BD makes sense. Just guessing (as usual) on my part.

[Bucky P]

This flight has passengers who are confirmed as having the virus, previous flights had passengers from infected areas who were at possible risk of having it.

[CHINOOKER]

Quieter airfield with fewer based staff than Brize....also a more remote area regarding the press etc being there!. Don't think Porton Down or there staff come into the equation as the virus is basically a " health issue",rather than a chemical/poisoning issue!

[POL]

Sounds like the perfect job for Portion Down then, considering Public Health England's facilities there.

[toom317]

Because they can.

[watchman]

Wamos B 747 just landed at Boscombe Down 11:32

Another reason for this airfield being used could be that Brize has scheduled passenger flights today

[bizfreeq]

This flight has passengers who are confirmed as having the virus, previous flights had passengers from infected areas who were at possible risk of having it.

You had better inform all the news channels of this then, and the NHS, as they are reporting that all confirmed cases remain in Japan and all on board this aircraft have tested negative.

[mushbuster]

Any one know which military bases can handle 747 400s aside from Brize, Fairford, Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Marham and MoD Boscombe Down, does not look like the commercial airfields can afford the disruption

[Arthur Tee]

Has no-one taken into account the direction of a rather strong breeze?

Why struggle with a crosswind and then struggle with a diversion to a alternate airfield that’s not prepared for the logistics of such an arrival.

Boscombe - dead quiet and straight into the wind. A couple more hours on a bus with a WC is hardly an inconvenience...

Arthur

[Arthur Tee]

Any one know which military bases can handle 747 400s aside from Brize, Fairford, Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Marham and MoD Boscombe Down, does not look like the commercial airfields can afford the disruption

I’ve seen a 747 freighter at Waddington in the past. (Diversion from Mildenhall).

[reheat module]

We also had a 747 in at Scampton in the past.