Back To The Drawing Board

Whoops! Looks like it's back to the drawing board for Defence Minister Peter MacKay. Seems he was a little more enthusiastic in his announcement and rather precipitate in divulging that Canada will be co-locating a small support hub at the Cologne-Bonn Airport. While he felt very excited about his announcement, when civil authorities in Cologne heard of the arrangement through the newswires, they too were excited, but certainly not pleased.

Seems communications went somewhat awry. That great news was revealed during an Ottawa visit by German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere. And it would seem that discussions and agreements were reached among those in place who are capable of making such plans at the federal level in both countries, somehow overlooking a courtesy inclusion of municipal authorities. It is a civil airport, not a military airport.

And, evidently, one of the country's busiest. "The airport of a major city is not the right location for additional military air traffic", Cologne Lord Mayor Juergen Roters was quoted as huffing, muffed as he should be. Understandably enough, German citizens living in the close locality are none too thrilled with the prospect of additional disruptive noise caused by military aircraft along with civil aircraft.

It was the first time, evidently, that the airport's management had caught wind of the very nice arrangement decided upon by the Cabinet members overseeing both militaries of Germany and Canada. When a delegation from the Royal Canadian Air Force visited the airport to scope it out, airport officials thought it was with respect o an emergency alternate landing site, not a semi-permanent flight hub.

"The repositioning of the Canadian Forces European OSH to Kohn-Bonn was initiated after much consideration and analysis to determine the optimum location for Canada's European Hub operations. The decision to move the OSH has been made with the cooperation and consent of the German government, as announced by Minister MacKay and Minister de Maiziere on February 14, 2012, and Canada is grateful for the support and hospitality that we have received to date from Germany."

Despite which elaboration on the matter by the Department of National Defence, this somewhat embarrassing balls-up is not yet quite smoothed over. Although Canadian officials have said "We look forward to having further discussions with them regarding the use of the civilian facilities", a German defence ministry spokesman explained it would be up to Canada to sort out the details of a contract for the hub.

So, it's over to the excitable, announcement-prone Minister of Defense to dig and make some headway here, taking into consideration the quite logical protests of the civil authority in Cologne, expressing the wishes of those whom they serve.