"China Eastern Airlines MU2527, this is Wuhan air traffic control tower ... You are the first outbound passenger flight taking off from the airport. And it is my honor to provide you the Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) for a safe journey," rattled off the air controller at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH) at 7:25 a.m. on April 8, 2020, right before China Eastern Airlines Flight MU2527 with 42 passengers onboard departed for Sanya Airport (SYX) in south China's Hainan Province.

This happened on the day Wuhan, once the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic, resumed domestic flight services, marking the end of a 76-day citywide lockdown in a bid to contain the coronavirus.

Normally, airline staff, especially the pilot and air traffic controllers, need to follow the standard script for aviation communications, but taking into account the pandemic situation, air traffic controllers started sending encouragement messages to crews and medical staff.