A charter flight carrying 244 Chinese students left Southwest China's Chongqing municipality for Manchester in the UK on Saturday.

It is the first charter flight conducted by a Chinese domestic airline in 2021 for international students to resume their studies.

The flight, operated by Hainan Airlines with an Airbus 330-300, is scheduled to operate until mid-to-late October.

Shortly before the departure of the flight, a student surnamed Li told Xinhua at the Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport that direct flights would make it easier for Chinese students to go back to their schools in the UK, as there are currently no direct flights available.

All scheduled passenger flights between China and the UK have been suspended since the end of 2020.