The Australian Government has given the United Nations assurances that it will maintain an air bridge between Darwin and East Timor, to provide support for UN Assistance Mission (UNAMET) personnel remaining in the violence-torn territory.
The assurances, given by Australian prime minister John Howard on 8 September, follow a week-long airlift evacuation of UN and aid agency personnel by the Royal Australian Air Force.
The RAAF opened the air bridge on 6 September, with Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules performing 17 missions until 10 September. Missions since 9 September have been used to ferry food, water and medical supplies to the UNAMET compound in the East Timor capital of Dili.
Meanwhile, the Australian Army has increased to at least 15 the number of Black Hawk helicopters on standby for deployment to East Timor. The aircraft, at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory, have been fitted with long-range fuel tanks to enable direct ferry operations. The base is 800km (430nm) from Timor.
The Australian Defence Force is at less than 24h notification for deployment, with government officials indicating that plans call for 2,000 personnel to be lifted into Timor in less than 72h if agreement can be negotiated with Jakarta.
Source: Flight International
