A number of airline companies in China have recently started providing charter flight services for governments and enterprises across the country to help accelerate the resumption of work and production amid the novel coronavirus epidemic by bringing migrant workers from their hometowns directly to cities.

“I never thought that the first time I took a plane, it would be a charter flight to return to work,” said a migrant worker surnamed Su, one of the migrant workers who took Shenzhen Airlines charter flight ZH8165 from Yuncheng, north China’s Shanxi province, to Huizhou, south China’s Guangdong province.

All 157 passengers on the flight were employees of TCL King Electrical Appliances Huizhou Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China’s main TV manufacturer TCL. As it was the first time most of the passengers had taken a plane, Shenzhen Airlines provided special services for the flight, arranging dedicated vehicles and security check channels, as well as online services, such as electronic health declaration and electronic boarding passes.

The plane departed from Yuncheng at 4 p.m. on Feb. 27 and arrived in Huizhou Pingtan Airport at 6:50 p.m. the same day. After getting off the plane, all the employees were taken directly to their factory in special vehicles.

“This time we were directly taken from home to the factory. It made us feel safe,” Su said.

With the arrival of four other charter flights in Shenzhen, Huizhou, and Taizhou on the same day, Shenzhen Airlines had carried out five charter flights on Feb. 27, bringing 720 employees to their places of work.

So far, the airline company has carried out six charter flights bringing 881 people back to their workplaces.

“We are holding discussions with nearly 20 more companies on their needs,” said an executive of Shenzhen Airlines.

Many other airlines in the country have responded actively to China’s call for efforts to support the resumption of work and production.

By March 4, China Southern Airlines, headquartered in Guangzhou, capital of south China’s Guangdong province, had transported 7,257 people back to their workplaces on 43 charter flights.

Shandong Airlines in Jinan, capital of east China’s Shandong province, has confirmed five charter flights and 13 flights with reserved seats so far, including charter flights to help impoverished migrant workers return to work in the province.

Sichuan Airlines, headquartered in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan province, has completed five charter flights bringing 399 people to the cities they work in.

Furthermore, 11 airline companies of HNA Group Co., Ltd., a Chinese conglomerate headquartered in Haikou, south China’s Hainan province, have completed 32 charter flights ordered by governments and enterprises, taking more than 3,000 migrant workers to various Chinese cities.

“The price of a charter flight is set according to the variable costs of the flight, such as fuel and labor. The money is usually paid by enterprises, while some governments also provide certain subsidies for companies,” disclosed an executive of Shenzhen Airlines.

“Charter flight services are being carried out in response to the country’s call for intensified efforts to promote resumption of work and production,” said the executive, adding that from a business perspective, the service has not been profitable for airline companies.

Charter flight services aimed at bringing people back to work are a special service being rolled out to help companies during the epidemic, said Shenzhen Airlines, adding that according to guidelines of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the service will last until March 15, after which date the C