To fly or not to fly, that is the question, especially when it comes to Wuhan, ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to a global slowdown of economic activities for over half a year.

In mid-September, Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan would resume direct international flights, authorities said on Tuesday after obtaining official approval. Ticketing services would be unavailable for the time being.

The first international flight has been scheduled for Sept. 16, to be bound for Seoul on South Korea’s T’way Air. It is not immediately clear whether the resumed global air links are in any way associated with the yearly Golden Week holiday starting on Oct. 1, usually the busiest travel period when Chinese consumers splurge on vacations and luxury goods.

Chutian Metropolis Daily, a tabloid distributed in Wuhan, cited the city’s civil aviation department as saying that about a dozen international airlines had applied to fly directly to Wuhan, including those from Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Tokyo.

Inbound travelers would be tested for the coronavirus and quarantined for 14 days after arrival, the tabloid said. No details on other pandemic prevention measures had been released yet.

Between April 8 and late August, Tianhe International Airport had resumed 73 domestic air routes. Daily passenger throughput had risen to about 60,000, which was 90% of the level recorded during the same period last year.

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