Every US tanker track out of Mildenhall and Ramstein has gone dark this morning. Not rerouted. Gone. Host nations have pulled the diplomatic clearances.
No tankers means no Atlantic air operations from Europe. That is the whole game.
Post
@flightpicket · 21 Jan 2026 · 10:40
2.7K replies
People keep saying "the Germans closed the runways" like it is a headline.
The man who closed the runway coaches my son's football team on Wednesdays. He came round on Sunday with a cake. He looked absolutely wretched about it.
None of this is happening between countries. It is happening between neighbours who all have to be at the same school gate tomorrow.
What was happening
21 January 2026 · in the recordThe basing lockoutHost nations revoke diplomatic clearance for American tanker sorties at Ramstein and Mildenhall, and close western European airspace to any aircraft staging toward the Arctic.…