Shenzhen Airlines will transport donated organs for free, the company announced last week.

The airline signed an agreement to that effect with the organ transplantation committee of the Chinese Medical Association, the Shenzhen branch of Red Cross Society and Shenzhen Eye Hospital at the Jinjiang Shenzhen Airlines Hotel on Tuesday.

The company is the first domestic airline to sign a deal to carry donated organs. According to the agreement, Shenzhen Airlines will carry donated organs free of charge on its regular flights.

The number of donors in China has been increasing rapidly in the past four years, said Chen Zhonghua, an official with the organ transplantation committee of the Chinese Medical Association.

While the nation did not have an organ donor until 2003, the number of organ donors rose to 22 last year. Up to now, 28 people have donated their organs, which helped a total of 110 people.

To make full use of the donated organs, a rapid transport network is needed, said Chen. "We hope to cooperate with more air companies to form a national network for transporting the organs," said Chen.

Shenzheners are among the most active organ donors in the nation, said Zhao Linzhen, secretary general of the Shenzhen branch of Red Cross Society.

Editor: Yan