More flights dispatched for retrieving stranded Chinese

Xiamen Airlines has dispatched 10 more flights to Manila, the Philippines to retrieving stranded Chinese on Wednesday, the second such move after sending a flight each to Bangkok, Thailand and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on Jan 31.

On Feb 2, the Philippine government temporarily banned all passengers traveling the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the Macao Special Administrative Region from the Philippines, and all passengers coming in from the above regions.

Informed that many Chinese were stranded after the canceling of all direct flights from China to the Philippines, Xiamen Airlines contacted the Philippine authorities and applied for 10 flights, six from Quanzhou to Manila and four from Xiamen to Manila.

Flight MF817, which departed on Wednesday afternoon, arrived at Jinjiang International Airport in Quanzhou, Fujian province at night, carrying 169 passengers and 1,432 kilograms of goods and materials to combat the coronavirus in Wuhan.

According to the airline, full preparations were made in terms of security and epidemic prevention, as all the flights were conducted by well-trained pilots. All flights prepared face masks for every passenger and an anti-virus hygiene kit in case of emergency.

Flight attendants checked every passenger's body temperature before they boarded, and rejected passengers whose body temperature exceeded the limit. Passengers were required to take another temperature check and fill out related forms after departing.