Zhong Rui, pilot of Flight MF818, is heading to pick up stalled Chinese travelers in Manila, the capital of the Philippines on Feb 5, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Wherever you are, the motherland is always behind you, welcome home!"

This was the broadcast on a plane piloted by Zhong Rui on Xiamen Airlines Flight MF818, which picked up Chinese citizens stranded in the Philippines due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Xiamen Airlines applied for six flights from East China's Fujian province's Quanzhou to Manila, capital of the Philippines, making the back-home flights available from Wednesday to Monday. Thanks to this effort, about a thousand Chinese tourists stranded in the Philippines are going to go back home.

Zhong, from Longyan in Fujian province is mainly responsible for routes from China to Southeastern Asia. The 34-year-old Zhong has more than 10 years of flying experience after he graduated from Civil Aviation Flight University of China and joined Xiamen Airlines in 2010 before he became a pilot in 2014.

As one of the excellent pilots in Xiamen Airlines, Zhong was recognized for his work to keep flight safety in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Zhong usually spends the Spring Festival holiday with his wife and two sons. But he happened to be on duty this year.