BEIJING (AP) — Already roiled by the pandemic and a partial diplomatic boycott, the Beijing Winter Olympics face another challenge in finding airplane seats for all of the athletes and officials.
Beijing Games relying on charters, temporary flights | Health & Fitness
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In this grab taken from video, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. Johnson says no U.K. government minister will attend the Beijing Olympics. Johnson on Wednesday called it “effectively” a diplomatic boycott. Johnson was asked in the House of Commons whether the U.K. will join the United States, Australia and Lithuania in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games.
FILE – China’s Peng Shuai reacts during her first round singles match against Japan’s Nao Hibino at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 21, 2020. IOC President Thomas Bach can’t escape repeated questions about Peng and suspicions around two video calls the IOC has had with her. The questions keep coming. And Bach has acknowledged the situation is “fragile.”
A journalist puts on a jacket outside the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
Workers look at robots displayed at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A worker displays the furniture to be used for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the games in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A worker walks by an exhibition of the furniture to be used for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the games in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
Workers prepare laptops at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A worker disinfects the storage area at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
Workers load computers onto a delivery truck at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A security camera is seen near the logos for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the games in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A worker shows the furniture to be used for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the games in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A worker walks by the logos for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the games in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A worker opens the door of a delivery robot at the Main Distribution Center built to provide logistic support for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. The 34-meter-tall building has started operation at the end of last year to receive, store and distribute furniture, sport and technical equipment, and other materials for the current test events and next year’s Winter Games.
A woman wearing a face mask to protect against COVID-19 walks past the logo for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Torch Relay during an event at the Beijing University of Posts and Communications in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. Already roiled by the pandemic and a partial diplomatic boycott, the Beijing Winter Olympics face another challenge in finding airplane seats for all the athletes and officials.
Students wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 take photos of a torch for the Paralympic Torch Relay for the 2022 Winter Olympics during an event at the Beijing University of Posts and Communications in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. Already roiled by the pandemic and a partial diplomatic boycott, the Beijing Winter Olympics face another challenge in finding airplane seats for all the athletes and officials.
Athletes wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 watch the action at the ISU World Cup Short Track speed skating competition, a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics, at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. Already roiled by the pandemic and a partial diplomatic boycott, the Beijing Winter Olympics face another challenge in finding airplane seats for all the athletes and officials.
Ensuring the smooth arrival of participants has “become everyone’s concern” because of a reduction in regular passenger flights because of COVID-19, Zhang Liang, director of the organizing committee’s Arrival and Departure Center, said Friday.
The committee and civilian aviation authorities have “established the principle that chartered and temporary flights will be the main means, supplemented by commercial flights,” Zhang said at a media briefing.
He said 17 domestic and foreign carriers have signed on to provide temporary flights, adding 15 inbound flights departing from more than a dozen worldwide hubs every day, along with 13 outbound flights .
“The flight plans have been confirmed and the flight schedules have been released,” Zhang said.
While China has largely controlled widespread virus infections since the pandemic began in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, it has maintained a strict “zero-tolerance” approach on pandemic restrictions.
Zhang said participants should be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before their departure for Beijing and monitor their health daily. They also need to take two nucleic acid tests with 96 hours of boarding their flights and receive a green health code issued by the Chinese government showing they are virus-free. Another test will be administered when they arrive in Beijing, Zhang said.
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