Shandong Airlines 'passenger to cargo' flight departs Qingdao

Shandong Airlines Flight SC2219 took off from Qingdao Liuting International Airport heading for Osaka, Japan at 14:00, April 29, carrying 15 tons of epidemic prevention supplies, cross-border e-commerce parcels and other goods.

The flight is the first Shandong Airlines "passenger to cargo" flight to depart from Qingdao.

The airline company has transformed three of its narrow body aircraft -- Boeing 737-800s -- into freighter planes by removing the seats, in an attempt to ease supply shortages amid the epidemic.

Currently, Shandong Airlines operates two flights a week from Qingdao to Osaka, and is expected to operate daily flights starting in mid-May.

After the launch of the all-cargo flight between Qingdao and Osaka, the express cargo can pass through customs the same day after arriving in Osaka, and the delivery can be completed the next day.