Memorial held for two pilots

The DHL Worldwide Express held a memorial service yesterday in commemoration of the two pilots who tragically lost their lives when their plane collided with a Russian Tupolev passenger aircraft over Lake Constance, Southern Germany, on July 1.

The DHL International Boeing B757 was en route from Bahrain (via Bergamo, Italy) to Brussels when it was involved in an accident with the Bashkirlan airline aircraft over Ueberlingen on Lake Constance.

It was crewed by two pilots; Captain Paul Philips, a British national and First Officer Brant Campioni, a Canadian national.

Originally from Liverpool, 47-year-old Philips was living in Bahrain with his wife and three children, two girls and one boy. The first officer, Campioni, a 34-year-old, was also married and based in Bahrain.

The ceremony was held at Le Royal Meridien Bahrain and was attended by friends, families and colleagues of the deceased.

Paul Bishop, DHL Middle East Airline Director and a close friend of the two pilots, was one of the main speakers at the ceremony.

"Paul and Brant were two of our most admired and respected pilots and both were very highly experienced. They each loved what they did and flying was not just a job for them but a passion that started off as a dream and became their life.

"Paul and Brant were innocent victims of extraordinary tragic circumstances and our thoughts will always be with them as they shall always remain close to our hearts and in our minds," said Bishop who ended his eulogy with the poem 'All is Well' by Henry Scott.

Speeches were also delivered by Captain Abdul Rahman Al Gaoud, Undersecretary for Aviation Services and Jacek Romanowski, DHL Global Airline Director, both of whom commemorated the two pilots.