Chinese airlines have returned more than 1,600 nationals home after a 8.1- magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on Saturday, according to the Foreign Ministry.

"Within two days of the quake, 12 Chinese civil jets had carried more than 1,600 Chinese stranded at the Kathmandu Airport in Nepal," said a statement released by the Foreign Ministry on Monday evening.

The statement said 11 jets -- from Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern, among others -- brought back nearly 900 people on Monday.

Another five planes will return 500 more today, the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry coordinated with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to return those stranded, the statement said.

On Sunday, at the request of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, China Southern Airlines dispatched an extra aircraft. Air China and China Eastern followed soon after.

Currently, Chinese carriers can bring around 1,200 people home every day.

The CAAC asked airlines to prepare more flights and prioritize the transport of passengers and humanitarian aid.

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