Seventy-four Chinese students boarded a Hainan Airlines charter flight from Chongqing to Manchester, England, at 1 am on Monday to resume their overseas schooling, which had been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

It was the first charter flight operated by a Chinese airline to carry Chinese students back to school in a foreign country.

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and Hainan Airlines made special transfer arrangements for the students, including free luggage storage, free packing, free meals and free lodging.

The airline contacted the students directly for ticket purchases based on lists provided by the UK schools.

Over the next two months, about 20,000 Chinese students from all over the country are expected fly from Chongqing to Manchester or Bristol, both in the United Kingdom, on Hainan Airlines.