Southampton Airport and Guernsey Airport have joined forces along with Channel Island’s based airline Aurigny to ensure a special charter flight carrying medical samples to be tested at Southampton General Hospital was carried out efficiently and safely.
“We are extremely proud to have been providing lifeline flights to the Channel Islands throughout this difficult period,” said Neil Garwood, Managing Director of Southampton Airport. “It has never been more important to enable medical flights than during this pandemic response,” he added.
Southampton General hospital is one of the key medical facilities for the Channel Islands and as such is key in the islands’ response to the pandemic. The flight, which took place on Sunday 24 May, on a Dornier 228NG, was requested by authorities on Guernsey on the Saturday. “Our team pulled out all the stops working with Aurigny and Guernsey Airport to make sure this precious medical cargo reached Southampton in time,” added Garwood.
As a popular year-round air route for passengers arriving from the Channel Islands, Southampton Airport is a key access point to the south of England. Aurigny is currently operating daily services to Southampton from Guernsey for those with a requirement to travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, which includes vital medical appointments.
Header image: the Aurigny Dornier 228NG after landing at Southampton Airport
