A SPECIAL charter flight that landed at Southampton Airport has enabled vital medical samples to be brought to the city's main hospital for testing.

It has joined forces with Guernsey Airport and the Channel Island's partner airline Aurigny to ensure the crucial supplies were safely brought to the mainland, and taken to Southampton General Hospital.

The flight was urgently requested by authorities in Guernsey on Saturday evening, and took place on Sunday May 24 using an Dornier 228 NG aircraft from Aurigny.

If tests and treatment are required which cannot be performed on the islands, Southampton General Hospital is considered one of the key medical facilities for the Channel Islands, according to airport bosses.

With Covid-19 travel restriction measures in place, Southampton Airport has operated lifeline flights to Jersey and Guernsey throughout the pandemic.

Managing Director of Southampton Airport, Neil Garwood, said: “We are extremely proud to have been providing lifeline flights to the Channel Islands throughout this difficult period.

"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.