RAF may need to recall planes to get Rwanda scheme off the ground
THE RAF may have to recall three Voyager aircraft leased out to holiday tour firms so they can be used in the Rwanda asylum programme, this newspaper can reveal.
The Home Office is thought to be in negotiations with private aircraft operators about using their planes to transport migrants to Rwanda, but it is understood that many are reluctant to be involved.
The RAF is believed to be the Home Office’s ‘back-stop’ to get the scheme off the ground. But one senior RAF source said: ‘At the moment we are maxed out, meaning that we have zero capacity for additional missions. The only way forward is to bring the lease aircraft which are flying to the Mediterranean back into military service.’
It comes as Rishi Sunak faces criticism that he has failed to push the Treasury to fully fund the Rwanda scheme – including a reported £27million upgrade of the Boscombe Down base in Wiltshire from where the Rwanda flights are due to leave. A Whitehall source said: ‘Rishi bows to Treasury officials because he’s a technocrat.’ But a Government source said that Mr Sunak had ‘invested a significant amount in getting the Rwanda scheme up and running’.
In 2022, Mallorca-based Privilege Style – originally hired to provide Rwanda flights – pulled out of the deal following pressure from Left-wing campaigners. One former Home Office Minister said yesterday that if any private airline did volunteer, it would want its insignia removed from the exterior of the aircraft.
A Government spokesman said: ‘Stopping the boats is a priority for this Government. We have robust operational plans in place for flights and we are working towards ensuring the first flights leave for Rwanda as soon as possible.’