04/07/2003 11:39
LONDON (Reuters) - The Royal Air Force base at Lyneham in Wiltshire is to close by 2012 with the loss of more than 2,000 jobs, the government has announced.
Defence Minister Adam Ingram said on Friday the closure was part of a strategic review of airbases for the RAF’s air transport and re-fuelling fleets.
The Lyneham base will stay open until the RAF’s Hercules C130-K heavy lift fleet goes out of service. It will then close with the loss of 1,780 service and 360 civilian jobs. The base will be sold off unless a new use can be found for it.
Ingram said the air transport and re-fuelling fleets will be based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire by 2012.
