Top-flight services get people back to work

China Eastern Airlines, one of the three major transportation groups in China, has ramped up efforts to help enterprises resume work and production during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Many people were stuck in their hometowns and could not return to the cities where they work after the Lunar New Year holiday due to the epidemic.

With a strong demand from enterprises for chartered planes, China Eastern Airlines on Feb 18 launched a customized charter flight service.

All companies outside Hubei province are able to apply for charter flights for 50 or more employees.

As of Feb 24, the airline had received about 100 orders for charter flights. Applicants mainly include electronic products manufacturers with large labor demand in Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, and engineering construction enterprises in Shanxi province.

The first chartered plane took off from Xingyi Wanfenglin Airport in Guizhou province on Feb 21, carrying 142 passengers to Ningbo, Zhejiang, one of the major destinations for China's migrant workers. These passengers were employees from nine local manufacturing enterprises.

To ensure a smooth trip, China Eastern Airlines' branch office in Guiyang contacted the airport to set up a special check-in counter and open up a green channel.

Staff members of the airline instructed passengers to fill in health statements and take temperature tests with the help of medical professionals. Three days later, Shanghai Pudong International Airport saw the landing of China Eastern Airlines' first charter flight to Shanghai. The flight brought Shibang Group's 160 employees from Henan province back to work.

The airline's efficient organization and caring services amid the novel coronavirus outbreak have earned passenger recognition and appreciation, according to China Eastern Airlines.

Apart from charter flights, China Eastern Airlines has offered airfreight services for businesses to support their resumption of work.

As of the end of February, Eastern Air Logistics, a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, had restarted operation of all cargo planes.

EAL shipped more than 20,000 metric tons of goods in February. Most of the air cargoes were fittings needed by manufacturing industries as well as e-commerce goods and daily necessities.

Currently, China Eastern Airlines' domestic and international passenger flights have been gradually restored.

Statistics show the airline has resumed nearly 100 flights per day since March and operated around 1,300 flights on a daily basis, accounting for half of what it would normally.

The first batch of international flights restored included those on routes between Kunming, Yunnan province and Myanmar's Yangon and Mandalay.

Receiving approval from the Australian government, China Eastern Airlines also restored its daily flight from Shanghai to Melbourne from March 7 to meet international students' need for getting back to school.

zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn