Prior to joining Virgin Atlantic, Corneel held the position of Managing Director at Cobalt Ground Solutions, the largest ground handler at Heathrow Terminal 4 and London City Airport and during his time as Managing Director he was instrumental in preparing and completing the merger of this Air France KLM subsidiary. Prior to this, Corneel held various positions at KLM including Regional Director Africa and Middle East and Regional Director, East Asia at KLM Cargo. He then moved to Japan where he held the positions of General Manager at KLM and Commercial Director for the region at Air France KLM. Corneel then relocated to the UK taking the position of Managing Director for KLM Ground Services, handling several major airlines at London Heathrow and London City airport.

Corneel was appointed Director of Operations, Safety and Security in September 2010 and is responsible for continuously strengthening standards of operational performance for the airline and oversees flight operations, cabin services, airport operations and safety and security.