POWERCHINA employees return to Israel on charter flight

Organized by POWERCHINA, the Hainan Airlines HU479 charter flight departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel on Nov 22.

The flight carried a total of 112 returning workers, including 99 from POWERCHINA and 13 from other China-funded enterprises.

POWERCHINA workers pose for a photo at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. [Photo/POWERCHINA]

This was the second charter flight to successfully depart for the pumped storage power station project in Israel following the first flight on Sept 7. It was of great significance to promote POWERCHINA's overseas projects and deepen the joint construction of Belt and Road projects.

While the risks associated with the pandemic in Israeli are still genuine, the charter flight has laid a solid foundation for the company to ensure the construction progress of various projects and contributed to the recovery of Israel's economy. After the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, due to Israeli entry restrictions, some people were unable to return to work on time.

However, the project owner has not issued instructions to stop or slow down construction. While strictly implementing various epidemic prevention and control measures, POWERCHINA has made every effort to ensure construction progress following relevant Israeli laws, regulations and contractual agreements.

On May 7, 2020, Israel announced that foreigners could apply for an "entry permit."

To actively promote the resumption of work on the project, POWERCHINA actively contacted the Chinese Embassy in Israel to complete a series of entry, visa, inspection and quarantine procedures.

POWERCHINA has formulated a special plan for charter flights, organized returning workers to undergo nucleic acid testing, and provided masks and preventive and therapeutic drugs.

The company has also prepared isolation dormitories for returning personnel in advance.