As the global Covid-19 pandemic continued, in June 2020 a state-owned Chinese engineering company asked Air Charter Service to help fly a group of 70 workers back from the Seychelles, where they had been based for a government related project. With China’s borders closed and all passengers required to provide a negative coronavirus test before departing, our team had to pull out all the stops to secure the necessary permissions for the charter to go ahead.
Engineering workers, China
As the global Covid-19 pandemic continued, in June 2020 a state-owned Chinese engineering company asked Air Charter Service to help fly a group of 70 workers back from the Seychelles, where they had been based for a government related project. With China’s borders closed and all passengers required to provide a negative coronavirus test before departing, our team had to pull out all the stops to secure the necessary permissions for the charter to go ahead.
OUR SOLUTION
Route: Mahé > Changsha
Aircraft: Airbus A320
The client initially wanted the group to depart the Seychelles in mid-July, however the charter was delayed as there were tight restrictions on travel to mainland China for such a large group during the pandemic. It was also the client’s first experience chartering an aircraft, so they took longer than usual to check through the contracts and sign everything off.
The group needed to be back in China by the end of September, so we immediately sought approval for a diplomatic flight from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then applied for slots with help from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Once everything was approved, we began the lengthy process of arranging mandatory Covid-19 tests for all passengers prior to departure, as requested by the governments of the Seychelles and China.
THE FINER DETAILS
Local Knowledge: The CAAC’s policies were changing daily as the pandemic continued to unfold, so we used our strong relationship with them to stay updated and ensure we fully met their requirements.
Global Network: Our international presence allowed us to source the best aircraft for the job and keep the client informed throughout the logistically challenging process of arranging the charter.