A rescue worker sprays disinfectant at the No. 22 Middle School in Xinxiang, central China's Henan Province, July 25, 2021. Disinfection works are underway in schools, hospitals, garbage transfer stations and some other areas in the flood-hit city of Xinxiang. Photo: Xinhua

Enterprises in Central China's Henan Province have resumed operations and manufacturing after days of torrential rains that caused flooding, with logistics and supply chains having largely returned to normal, except in areas that are still heavily affected by the disaster.

Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport had completely recovered operations as of Tuesday night, with the number of flights in and out returning to the pre-flood level of 600 on a daily average basis, Zhuo Li, an official with the Ministry of Transport, told reporters on Wednesday.

China Southern Airlines told the Global Times that, if needed, the company will deploy wide-body airliners like the Boeing 787 to fly Zhengzhou routes in a bid to meet surging passenger and cargo transport needs and help boost recovery work there.

Apart from airlines, logistics firms in Henan that mainly rely on rail and road transportation have also gradually resumed operations with the recovery of traffic.

FedEx China said on its WeChat public account that its international and cross-China delivery business in Zhengzhou had resumed as of Sunday. In addition, it provides flexible pick-up and delivery services to help maintain stable and smooth supply chains as well as normal operations of foreign trade in areas affected by floods.

JD Logistics told the Global Times on Tuesday that operations in Zhengzhou have basically resumed, though deliveries may be slightly delayed due to waterlogging in some regions in the province. 

"Logistics in some areas in Xinxiang, Hebi and Gongyi in Henan still face difficulties," the company said, noting that it is coordinating resources to solve the problem.

"The logistics industry in Zhengzhou is expected to brace for a boom in the wake of the flood," a manager of a Zhengzhou-based logistics company told the Global Times, noting that his company has started sending backlogged parcels now, along with the improvement of the road situation.

On Wednesday, all highways, major national roads and provincial roads in Henan maintained smooth operation, with no people or vehicles being blocked, Zhuo said, and there was only one highway still cut off due to waterlogging.

In addition, 179 of the 200 flood-damaged rail link sections have been repaired, he said, adding that most main-line railways have been reopened to traffic except for a few that are cut off, blocked or where only one part of a double-tracked section works.

Due to the torrential rain, about half of the major industrial enterprises in Zhengzhou suspended production, but around 95 percent of the enterprises have resumed manufacturing, local newspaper Henan Daily reported.

Automobile and component manufacturing is one of the leading industries in the Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, where there are several large auto manufacturing facilities like Yutong Group Co and over 100 component makers.

Yutong Group is a leading industrial group mainly specializing in the bus and coach business with a share of over 15 percent in the global market, and it exports to more than 30 countries and regions. 

A manager surnamed Li dealing with the crisis response work of Yutong Group told the Global Times on Wednesday that the company felt no logistics impact due to the flooding in Henan.

However, there has been a sudden jump in orders for some spare parts that are needed for repairing cars damaged by flooding, said Li, noting that the rising orders had put pressure on supplies as stocks ran out. 

"But with our coordination, this issue [of tightened supply] has largely been tackled," he said.

Besides the unprecedented torrential rain, the northward movement of Typhoon In-Fa poses another threat to businesses in Henan after it made landfall in East China.

Jin Xiaobo, CEO of Zhejiang Kaierhai Textile Garments Co, which is based in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang Province, told the Global Times that the company suspended production from Saturday to Monday to cope with the deluge, but manufacturing has since resumed and the supply of raw materials wasn't affected.