Shang Yiran is reunited with her mother at Hongqiao airport on Wednesday after being separated for about two and half months due to the lockdown in their hometown of Wuhan.
Seven-year-old Shang Yiran was reunited with her parents at Hongqiao airport on Wednesday after being separated for around two and half months due to the lockdown in Wuhan, epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
She had gone there with her grandmother in late January for Spring Festival, shortly before the central Chinese city went into lockdown, leaving her parents in Shanghai unable to return home.
When Wuhan lifted travel restrictions on Wednesday, Shang and her grandmother took the first China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai.
'She missed us so much and asked to take the very first flight to Shanghai,' her mother, Yang, said. 'She also needs to prepare to return to school in the city.”
Over 350 passengers were on China Eastern or China Southern flights from Wuhan to Shanghai on Wednesday.
China Southern's CZ3823 took off from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 8:09am with 35 passengers and landed at Pudong at 9:17am.
China Eastern's MU2507 took off at 10:25am and arrived at Hongqiao at 11:40am.
The Shanghai-based carrier operated three flights from Wuhan to Shanghai and one return flight on Wednesday.
'I'm happy to return to work in Shanghai, because it means Wuhan has been gradually getting back on track,' said Chen, a passenger on the first China Eastern flight.
Chen, a Wuhan native, is a salesman for a musical instrument company. He had gone home for Spring Festival but was unable to return to work because of the lockdown.
'I took one of the first flights to Shanghai to return to work as soon as possible,' Chen said. 'I've just spent too long a vacation at home.”
Liu Hanbai, who works for a Beijing-based medical company, drove to Wuhan on March 3 to take part in research for a treatment for novel coronavirus pneumonia.
He was given a hero’s welcome by his colleagues when he flew back to Shanghai.
'It was a surprise that so many colleagues in Shanghai came to pick me up,' Liu said.
He had previously worked at a Wuhan hospital for four years, which is why he volunteered to take part in the research program.
Liu Hanbai, a researcher with a Beijing-based medical company who volunteered his services in Wuhan, with flowers from his colleagues after he arrived at Hongqiao airport on Wednesday.
A passenger on China Eastern's first flight from Wuhan wears a mask and a face shield as she arrives at Hongqiao airport.
'Days in Wuhan were toilsome, and I was excited to meet my colleagues in Shanghai,' Liu said.
All passengers had to receive multiple temperature checks before boarding at Wuhan. They also had to show their health QR codes with only those having a green code allowed on the plane.
Red indicates a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case, yellow indicates a close contact, while green means the holder has had no contact with any case.
China Eastern operated 30 flights from Wuhan on Wednesday to 15 Chinese cities that included Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Guangzhou. Over 1,100 passengers were on these flights, according to the carrier.
China Southern operated 48 flights to and from Wuhan. Most passengers from Wuhan were Hubei-natives returning to work in other cities, while those inbound were mainly migrant workers from northeast and east China, according to the Guangzhou-based carrier.
Flight MU2527 from Wuhan to Sanya, the tourist resort in Hainan Province, was its first flight departing from Wuhan. It had 46 passengers onboard.
China Eastern's Wuhan branch said all its 27-passenger aircraft had been fully disinfected and air conditioning filters were replaced.
Pilot training programs began in March in preparation for the resumption of flights. Its pilots completed 346 takeoffs and landings at Wuhan during training.
All crew members were ordered to wear protective gear. Passengers from Wuhan were asked to sit apart and inflight services and meals were modified.
China Eastern plans to operate around 286 weekly flights from Wuhan, mainly to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Ningbo and Wenzhou. After May 2, the frequency of flights to and from Wuhan will be further enhanced, the airline said.
A passenger from Wuhan is pictured wearing a protective suit as he arrives at Hongqiao.
A passenger on China Eastern's first flight from Wuhan arrives at Hongqiao.
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