Hainan Province's New Recruits Achieve Air Transport for the First Time Out of the Island

Hainan Province's New Recruits Departing the Island Achieve Air Transport for the First Time

PLA Daily, Haikou, September 17 - Wu Xinjie, reporter Sun Xingwei reports: On September 16, with two flights from Hainan Airlines taking off from Haikou Meilan International Airport, hundreds of new recruits began their military journey. This marks the first time that new recruits from Hainan Province have been transported off the island by air. From now on, there is an "air corridor" for transporting new recruits out of Hainan Province.

On the flight from Haikou to Xiamen, flight attendants and new recruits pose for a group photo. Photo by Zhong Ruxin

Hainan Island is surrounded by the sea on all sides. In the past, all new recruits departing the island were transported by rail, requiring them to take regular-speed trains across the Qiongzhou Strait, which was time-consuming and involved multiple transfers. In cases of inclement weather or peak travel times, transportation plans would be disrupted. With the increasing demands of national defense mobilization and military service work, both military and local authorities took the initiative to address this issue, coordinating air transport support this year to make the departure of new recruits from the island smoother and more efficient.

To ensure the successful implementation of the first air transport, a military representative office from the Guilin Joint Logistics Support Center activated a special coordination mechanism in advance, collaborating with the Hainan Provincial Recruitment Office, Hainan Airlines, and other units to gather information on the number of passengers and flight schedules. Hainan Airlines selected high-performance wide-body aircraft and created exclusive commemorative tickets for the new recruits. Haikou Meilan International Airport opened dedicated security check channels and exclusive waiting areas, with designated personnel to guide the recruits, ensuring convenient boarding.

This air transport significantly shortened the journey for new recruits leaving the island, reducing the delivery time from several dozen hours to about 2 hours, and greatly improving the on-time performance of transportation. The transportation method has transitioned from rail and ferry to a multimodal transport system involving "rail, water, road, and air," achieving a breakthrough in the transportation of new recruits out of Hainan Province and accumulating valuable experience to meet diverse military transportation needs. It is understood that in the next steps, relevant departments will gradually expand the scope and volume of air support, improve the comprehensive delivery system, and continuously enhance the level of transportation support.