@Eugene's Lair posted:The airfield is run by the Americans, so I would presume they're limited in what "slots" are available to them as the US starts to dismantle facilities. Also; the MOD said yesterday that the UK's ability to process any more evacuations was "extremely reduced and additional numbers will be limited" - I don't think they explicitly connected that to the terrorist attack, but it does seem likely.
As for previous statements: all I'll say is that one of my biggest peeves of the last decade or so has been politicians making promises that it's not actually within their power to guarantee delivery on - i.e. they're entirely dependent on others playing ball, and the whole "promise" is merely an act of faith...
I'm thinking that the terrorist attacks are quite relevant to their decisions...as they should be imo.
Logistics take time, so it would also make sense that civilian evacuations would need to stop somewhat prior to the deadline.