Queen's University has chartered a jet to bring Chinese students directly to Northern Ireland in September, it has been revealed.
The Belfast university said it would offer the one-way flight to new and returning students from Beijing on September 18.
The price of a ticket for each student has been set at £616.
Queen's said that all students wishing to travel on the jet would be required to take a Covid-19 test 48 hours before the departure date.
They will also need to provide evidence of the test in order to board the Qatar Airways aircraft.
It is understood the cost to charter a 450-seater 777 Boeing could set Queen's back over £600,000 when flight time, loading and unloading times at either end are taken in to account.
The university has over 1,000 students from China and Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for Queen's University said: "At Queen's University our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff.
"We appreciate that international travel may be difficult over the coming weeks and months with limited flight availability and the need to transfer through busy airport hubs. Therefore, the University has arranged a chartered flight from Beijing to Belfast exclusively for new and returning students.
"Passengers will be required to provide evidence of a recent negative Covid-19 test and must also not be displaying symptoms at the time of travel.
"The students will be transported directly to campus from the airport and provided with quarantine accommodation if these measures are still required at that time.
"The flight will be charged to students at the normal cost of a comparable commercial flight.
"The flight has been arranged for students from China in the first instance as the country or region with the greatest demand.
"Additional flights may be arranged from other regions in the future, depending on demand.
The University is putting in place a range of measures to ensure the safety of staff and students on campus for the forthcoming academic year and will be in line with public health guidance."
