Special Salute Marks End Of An Era For Troop Transport In Germany

Weekly flights for military personnel between Paderborn and Birmingham have ended, marking another milestone in the drawdown from Germany.

For the final RAF Voyager flying into Paderborn-Lippstadt from Birmingham, fire engines saluted the aircraft with plumes of water.

Known as the Germany Air Bridge, around 200,000 passengers have used the service which began 25 years ago with flights to Stansted and later to Birmingham. 

Colonel Andy Thorne from British Forces HQ in Germany said: “We’ve seen less and less numbers of soldiers routinely travelling to and from the UK as part of just routine administration.

"Obviously, the viability of a huge RAF aircraft coming to and from with their other commitments they have worldwide has changed the equation a bit.”

However, RAF Voyagers have not finished flying to Paderborn just yet.

Roland Hueser, Deputy CEO of the airport said: 

“As long as the Army is using the training area in the Senne we will have further flights – charter flights carrying troops and weapons and material and whatever to the exercises in the training area.”  

In the future, British personnel on military business will travel to Germany on commercial flights and by train.