Camp Bastion 5th Busiest UK run Airport!

This article from the Daily mail says that camp Bastion handles over 400 aircraft movements a day!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1208868/Flown-home-cattle-class-frontline-How-troops-home-Afghanistan.html

I never knew the place was so big or busy. One wonders why the Tornado’s operate from Kandahar instead of Camp Bastion? Surely they would be closer to the action there.

What i did find a bit disappointing was that troops were coming home on a C17. Surely the RAF has enough transport planes to let them come back on a VC-10 or TriStar? you fight for 7 months and then don’t even get an airplane seat to come home on.

Anyone know of runway lengths how may there are and what kind of aprons and equipment is at Bastion. It must be a really big base.

Here is a Hercules with 14 American choppers in the background.

Good old Lynx is out there along with seaking and chinook in the background.

I wonder if they have the 2 chinook replacements on there way out yet. Maybe should send 3 or 4 just in case.
I read somewhere it takes 2-3 years to train a helicopter pilot and cost millions. In a rush surely you can train pilots in a few months. Flying everyday and in the classroom for 8-10 hours should do it. It would also cost a lot less as well. In Vietnam the USAF had Huey pilots qualifying much quicker than years. To much red tape i guess. Surely they RAF wants to save money.