UK charter flight eases strains for Chinese students

Hundreds of Chinese students have started self-quarantine on the campus of Queen's University Belfast, or QUB, after traveling from China to the United Kingdom on a flight chartered by the university.

A mother who sent her daughter off from Beijing said she was "very grateful" for the charter flight, which left on Saturday with 369 students.

She said: "We were worried when my child got the student visa because the pandemic makes international travel difficult and risky. Then we heard the news that QUB will arrange a charter flight. We were so happy. And the ticket price is fair enough."

Zhang Meifang, China's consul-general in Belfast, and Ian Greer, president and vice chancellor of QUB, were at Belfast International Airport to welcome the arriving students. "Affected by the global pandemic, studying abroad in this year is different from previous years," Zhang said in a welcome speech, adding the Chinese government attaches great importance to the university's charter flight plan.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and other departments have worked closely with our consulate, to actively practice 'diplomacy for the people', to ensure everyone's safety and make their study overseas journey smooth," said Zhang.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency said last year the number of students from China studying in UK higher education surpassed 120,000 for the first time, accounting for more than one in three non-European Union students. The total number of Chinese students studying in the UK is now more than 220,000, Chinese government figures show.

These students contribute 4 billion pounds ($5.17 billion) to the UK's economy per year in tuition fees and other spending such as accommodation, a BBC report said.

The report said that since the pandemic began, UK universities have been worried about major financial losses if Chinese students withdraw from their courses in the new academic year in the fall, amid concern over lofty COVID-19 infection rates and a high death toll in the UK.

A forecast by the University of Manchester said cancellations can range from 12 to 61 percent, and "anxiety" over the safety to travel to the UK outweighs other concerns.

"To alleviate anxiety and stress about traveling for the new academic year, Queen's was one of the first universities in the UK to put together a direct charter flight to bring our students directly to Belfast," Vice Chancellor Greer said in his welcome message.

A one-way ticket for the QUB charter flight was 616 pounds ($796).

Students were required to take COVID-19 tests 48 hours before departure and needed to provide negative results to board the plane. After landing, they were transported directly from the airport to their campus and provided with quarantine accommodation.

"Your teaching will be delivered by a connected learning approach. You will be taught face-to-face with the relevant social distancing and hygiene measures applied at all times, complemented by online classes when necessary," Greer told the students.