Massive PLA airlift sends help to Wuhan

Thousands of medics, vital equipment transported by heavy military aircraft

The People's Liberation Army conducted a massive transport operation on Thursday to send military medics to Wuhan, capital of Hubei province and epicenter of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, to help fight the epidemic.

The PLA Air Force used six Y-20, three Il-76 and two Y-9 transport aircraft to carry 1,400 medics and medical supplies from seven cities, including Urumqi, Shenyang and Chengdu. They landed at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.

This is believed to be the largest civilian-linked operation of the Air Force's transport fleet and also marked the first civilian-related deployment of the domestically developed Y-20, one of the world's largest strategic heavy-lift transport planes.