China's aerospace manufacturing and air transport sectors are collaborating to fight against the coronavirus epidemic. The Chinese Air Force is utilizing a series of domestically manufactured airplanes and improved aviation features to satisfy the needs of the post-epidemic recovery period.
Large transport aircraft activated
On February 13, China's Air Force sent two batches of Y-20 large transport airplanes to Wuhan's Tianhe International Airport to carry out their first non-military action. The Y-20 large multi-role transport aircraft was developed by the state-owned Aviation Industry of China (AVIC) and entered military service in July 2016.
The development and application of the Y-20 marked a breakthrough of China's capability of large aircraft design and manufacturing, and also represented a major step forward of China's Air Force, said the AVIC.
Together with the Y-20, the domestically manufactured Y-9 medium transport airplanes were in the fleet to send medical staff and emergency supplies in the emergency mission.
According to the AVIC, technical professionals from multiple units of the group have joined the service, support and training works in fighting against the epidemic, contributing to the unique roles of the Chinese aviation industry.
Civil aviation takes off
The fast-developing civil aviation industry of China also reacted fast to satisfy the country's demands in emergency transports.
Civil aviation authorities and Chinese civil airliners exhibited their capability in coordinating and transporting medical personnel and supplies during the nationwide epidemic.
As of February 14, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has arranged and coordinated 21 Chinese air carriers to conduct 241 flights with 29,000 passengers.
Among these, nine flights carried more than 1,100 passengers stranded overseas back to China, and 48 charter flights carried emergency transport missions.
Chinese civil aviation authorities coordinated 50 charter flights within two days to carry more than 6,200 medical personnel to rush to support Wuhan.
To lower the risk of infection on airplanes, flights with a higher number of passengers would change to bigger aircraft or be replaced with more flights, according to the CAAC.
China has become the world's second-largest civil aviation market, thanks to the country's constant economic growth and persistent efforts in cultivating the sector. It has created a remarkable record of double-digit growth in the civil aviation sector over the past decades.
The expanding fleet, extending route network and capability in air transport empower the Chinese civil aviation industry to meet the intensive and harsh challenges alongside the outbreak of the epidemic.
