A Spring Airlines flight takes off from an airport in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province. Photo: cnsphoto

Despite the coronavirus outbreak easing in the Chinese mainland, the ongoing spread overseas has led to rising concerns over the safety of Chinese nationals outside China.

Chinese airlines are adding more flights to repatriate Chinese nationals stranded overseas as the virus is experiencing a continuous spread abroad.

China's Spring Airlines told the Global Times on Tuesday that at the request of an overseas Chinese association in Jeju, South Korea, they have added seven flights from Jeju to Shanghai and Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, which are expected to carry over 1,000 Chinese passengers.

Passengers and flight crews will strictly implement relevant epidemic prevention and control policies, and will be required to undergo health observation for 14 days following their flights, according to Spring Airlines.

The news follows the arrival in Shanghai of 157 Chinese passengers who had been stranded in Jeju, transported by Spring Airlines on March 8.

As recent outbreaks in certain areas have intensified, flight crews operating South Korea flights have been facing 14 days of strict health observation, and major airlines have been forced to significantly adjust their routes between China and South Korea. 

Spring Airlines has adjusted its routes in a timely manner. Its routes from Shanghai to Seoul and Jeju have been suspended since early March, and will not begin gradual resumption until the end of March.