A Scots courier had to leave his van behind and board a plane to hand-deliver a vital part needed to get a stranded passenger jet back in the air.
Edinburgh based Graham McEwan, a driver with Eagle Couriers, was dispatched to Prestwick Airport to collect a plain, 6ins by 6ins box – without realising it was an extremely unusual aeroplane part needed urgently in the US.
After ferrying it back up the A77 to Glasgow Airport, the veteran courier was then asked by bosses if he could board a plane to London.
Jerry Stewart, director of Eagle Couriers, said: “Basically the plane part was so specialist there are probably only one or two of them in the world.
“This meant that someone had to get on board a plane with the box under their arm so that it was guaranteed to be handed over at the other end.
“Graham was a bit surprised to end up on a plane to Heathrow, where he passed on the part to an airline official who was then taking it on a flight across the Atlantic. All in all it was quite an unusual day’s work.”
Never A Dull Moment
Graham, who has worked with Eagle Couriers for the past 10 years, said: “In the past I’ve delivered a whole range of items, including the Calcutta Cup to Twickenham. We’re never quite sure where we’ll end up though it is a bit unusual to suddenly find yourself on a plane.
“Still, I was home in time for tea and quite enjoyed telling my family I’d been flying around on an urgent mission to get a stranded passenger plane back in the air. I’m not sure they actually believed me.”
The unusual delivery job was commissioned by US-based Sterling Global Aviation Logistics, which specialises in transporting valuable aircraft parts across the world. A spokeswoman in New York confirmed the part from Scotland was needed urgently in the US, but could give no more details because of non-disclosure agreements.
It’s not the first time Eagle Couriers has been involved in unusual airline deliveries – a number of years ago it was commissioned to deliver an aeroplane nose cone from Glasgow Airport to Heathrow to replace the damaged front end of a passenger plane.
Jerry added: “On that occasion we needed a 7.5 tonne truck to take the part by road. The funny thing was that after transporting it the length of the country, once it was fixed on to the plane, it then flew straight back to Glasgow.”
Eagle Couriers has 20 members of operational staff across Scotland and a 100-strong team of couriers. It recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in Glasgow.
The company provides safe and quick logistics services to organisations across the private, public and third sectors as well as working directly with consumers.
It has a 3500-strong client base including the BBC, the Government Procurement Service and the NHS. Further information on Eagle Couriers can be found at www.eaglecouriers.co.uk or on 0845 123 1230.
