Lt Governor swaps the sea for the sky as he helps out at Guernsey Airport

Saturday 17 February 2018

His Excellency, Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder and his wife, Lady Corder, have been helping Aurigny to mark its 50th anniversary by taking on a role in the States-owned airline's ground handling team for a day.

With a background serving in the Royal Navy, Sir Ian may be more used to tackling the challenges of marine life, but Sir Ian and Lady Corder admirably stepped up to the challenge facing them on Friday 16 February.

Aurigny gave the couple a special insight into the daily operations of the airline, as they toured the handling operations at Guernsey Airport and inside the Aurigny hangar.

His Excellency Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder had the opportunity to marshal the Gatwick flight GR603 into the airport stand while Lady Corder climbed aboard a tug vehicle to pushback the outbound GR642 Bristol service. During the hangar tour, they both had the chance to learn more about the maintenance of the Aurigny fleet.

Pictured: HE Sir Ian Corder and Lady Corder, with Mark Darby, Aurigny CEO and staff

Aurigny CEO Mark Darby, who led the tour, said it was an honour for the airline to welcome His Excellency and Lady Corder to Aurigny and to give them a first-hand experience of operations: 

“We are delighted to invite His Excellency and Lady Corder to meet our team, during what is a very special year for the airline. We really wanted to give them a unique insight into the heart of operations and show them the daily challenges and rewards of running a commercial operation.

“They were both more than happy to help us to get our aircraft in and out of Guernsey today and play their part in our local handling operations. We are pleased to say operations rans smoothly and on-time and customers were surprised and excited to see the honorary members of our Aurigny team.

“We really hope they enjoyed their visit and would welcome them back to the team any time.”

Pictured above and top: Vice Admiral, Sir Ian Corder, at Guernsey Airport

His Excellency, Sir Ian, commented: “Aurigny is very much the Bailiwick’s airline and we all know how fundamental it is to sustaining the prosperity and quality of life we enjoy here in the islands.

“I was particularly pleased to meet the staff that work so hard to keep the wheels turning and the aircraft flying, especially in the challenging weather conditions we face from time to time.”