HAIKOU, August 23. /TASS/. Meilan Airport in Hainan's Haikou resumed international transport of goods, suspended in connection with one detected case of infection with novel coronavirus, reported Nanguo Dushibao newspaper.

According to the newspaper, the first cargo plane after an almost two-week pause arrived from Indonesia, landing in Singapore on the way. The airport, as noted, maintains heightened measures to tackle the pandemic. Airport management has tightened control over the work of staff responsible for the disinfection of the airport and airliners. In order to do so, a center for the supervision of international cargo flights has been established. 

On August 5, epidemiological control authorities detected the coronavirus in one of the loaders at the Haikou airport. This case coincided with a series of localized outbreaks in other regions, in particular, in Jiangsu, Henan and Hunan provinces. As the Chinese authorities clarified, in July the coronavirus began to spread across the country due to international flights. The Hainan administration immediately took decisive steps by organizing massive coronavirus tests among the local residents.

According to statistics, in 2020, Meilan received more than 16.4 million passengers, servicing over 128,000 flights. The congestion of this airport, even despite the negative impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic, amounted to approximately 95% of last year's level. In March, Airports Council International awarded the airport the status of the best in Asia among similar transport facilities, receiving from 15 to 25 million passengers yearly.