Southampton Airport has joined forces with Guernsey Airport and Channel Islands-based partner airline Aurigny to ensure a special charter flight carrying crucial medical samples to be tested at Southampton General Hospital was brought swiftly and safely to the mainland.
Southampton Airport has joined forces with Guernsey Airport and Channel Islands-based partner airline Aurigny to ensure a special charter flight carrying crucial medical samples to be tested at Southampton General Hospital was brought swiftly and safely to the mainland.
The flight was urgently requested by authorities in Guernsey and took place on 24 May 2020, using a Dornier 228 NG from Aurigny.
Southampton General Hospital is one of the key medical facilities for the Channel Islands, if tests and treatment are required which cannot be performed on the islands. With COVID-19 travel restriction measures in place, Southampton Airport has operated lifeline flights to Jersey and Guernsey throughout.
“We are extremely proud to have been providing lifeline flights to the Channel Islands throughout this difficult period,” says Neil Garwood, Managing Director, Southampton Airport. “It has never been more important to enable medical flights than during this pandemic response. We received an urgent call on Saturday asking us to facilitate this on Sunday morning and our team pulled out all the stops working with Aurigny and Guernsey Airport to make sure this precious medical cargo reached Southampton General Hospital in time.”
Southampton Airport is a key and popular year-round air route for passengers arriving from the Channel Islands, and is a key access point to the south of England for the Bailiwick.
Aurigny is currently operating daily services to Southampton Airport from Guernsey for those in the Bailiwick with a requirement to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, including vital medical appointments.
