All : Gateway House Closed at Brize Norton
Submitted by (Juanita Brock) 06.12.2006 (Article Archived on 20.12.2006)

Gateway House, familiar to all who travel to the Falklands via the airbridge, is closed until further notice.

GATEWAY HOUSE CLOSED AT BRIZE NORTON

Gateway House is an accommodation facility at RAF Brize Norton which is available to all passengers travelling on schedule flights; this includes members of the public who fly to the Falkland Islands. Along with the provision of 372 bed spaces, Gateway House also provides meals and drinks and facilities for passengers.

Recent building works at Gateway House have revealed a level of asbestos contamination. As a precaution Gateway House has been closed and will remain closed whilst further investigations are undertaken to establish the level of contamination. Currently only the accommodation areas have been closed. Other facilities such as lounges, dining rooms and bars are still open as normal and are available to passengers once they have checked in at the Terminal. The Terminal also has a new coffee shop which can provide pre-flight snacks and beverages.

Anyone requiring accommodation prior to their departure will need to make alternative arrangements. Military personnel will be accommodated in barracks at either Brize Norton or South Cerney. Civilian passengers will need to arrange any pre-flight accommodation in local hotels. Movements staff at Brize Norton and Gateway House can assist in this.

In the event of an extended delay, Brize Norton will assist in making alternative accommodation arrangements; either in military accommodation for service personnel, or hotels for other passengers, as appropriate.

Further investigations to establish the levels of asbestos contamination are currently being undertaken as a matter of priority. A full contingency plan will be promulgated by the end of this week.

RAF Brize Norton apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused, however the health and safety of our employees, visitors and guests is of utmost importance. We will always endeavour to make our passengers as comfortable as possible.

(Press release from Mount Pleasant Complex)