Aeroplane lands at Sumburgh with special cargo

An aeroplane has arrived in the isles with a somewhat unusual cargo to help a new-to-Shetland hospital procedure be carried out.

The Cessna aircraft landed at Sumburgh on Monday morning with a faecal sample intended for use in a transplant procedure at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

The sample was flown from a laboratory in Birmingham and the operation is expected to take place later.

It’s a time-sensitive procedure, with the sample requiring a transfer at around -80 degrees.

It has been flown by a voluntary crew before being transferred from Sumburgh to Lerwick by Blood Bikes Scotland, which have transferred the cargo for the final leg of its journey by motorcycle.

The procedure is intended to help a patient at the Gilbert Bain who has suffered with long-term bowel complications