Britain’s health secretary said that the first flights carrying migrants to Rwanda will take off "within weeks" while not disclosing whether the government had found a carrier.
Victoria Atkins said they want flights carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda from Britain to take off "as quickly as possible."
"We very much plan to have it within weeks" she said during an interview with Sky News.
Asked whether the government has found an airline to carry out the flights amid reports that Rwanda's airline would not do so, she replied: "The Home Office is working on this...believe you me, the Home Office is ready to go."
"We have seen some real progress in the last year with the reduction in small boat crossings by a third, which is contrary actually to the trend we've seen across the European continent," she added.
Atkins said the Rwanda plan is just "one part of our overall plan to cut illegal migration ."
According to reports last week, RwandAir rejected the government’s request late last year after being approached about running the flights.
➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
