Shandong Airlines Flight SC2219 took off from Qingdao Liuting International Airport heading for Osaka, Japan at 14:00, April 29, carrying 15 tons of epidemic prevention supplies, cross-border e-commerce parcels and other goods.

The flight is the first Shandong Airlines "passenger to cargo" flight to depart from Qingdao.

Cargo is loaded onto Flight SC2219, a "passenger to cargo" flight linking Qingdao with Osaka, Japan. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]

The airline company has transformed three of its narrow body aircraft -- Boeing 737-800s -- into freighter planes by removing the seats, in an attempt to ease supply shortages amid the epidemic.

Currently, Shandong Airlines operates two flights a week from Qingdao to Osaka, and is expected to operate daily flights starting in mid-May.

After the launch of the all-cargo flight between Qingdao and Osaka, the express cargo can pass through customs the same day after arriving in Osaka, and the delivery can be completed the next day.

Staff members load epidemic prevention materials onto the "passenger to cargo" flight at Qingdao Liuting International Airport. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]

The Jinan -- Osaka flight will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday starting May 14, while the Kunming -- Delhi flight will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Friday starting May 1.

Shandong Airlines also plans to launch regular flights from Qingdao to Seoul and from Yantai to Seoul.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the passenger flight sector is facing unprecedented challenges as a large number of flights have been cut. The civil aviation industry has been converting some passenger planes into cargo planes to help relieve some of the pressure.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, from April 20 to 26, the country maintained regular cargo flights with 93 overseas destinations in 45 countries, and planned to conduct 1,989 cargo flights every week, an increase of 96.2 percent over the pre-epidemic period. Among the flights, 1050 were originally cargo flights, while 939 were converted from passenger flights.

The "passenger to cargo" flights will help boost freight transportation capacity, provide strong support for international logistics, and help airlines stem financial losses, said officials.