Medical workers complete information charts before they board the plane at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, on March 18, 2020. (PHOTO / WWW.CHINANEWS.COM)

A second chartered flight by c carrying a 13-member expert team and 17.3 metric tons of medical supplies left Shanghai for Milan on Wednesday, part of a series of support moves by China to help European countries combat the novel coronavirus pneumonia pandemic, the carrier said.

Flights between China and Italy have been suspended for the moment, which means the chartered flight had to be approved by authorities 

Peng Haiyan, a deputy director with China Eastern

"Flights between China and Italy have been suspended for the moment, which means the chartered flight had to be approved by authorities," said Peng Haiyan, a deputy director with China Eastern.

Taking off at 11:26 am on Wednesday, the B777-300ER aircraft was tasked with transporting 12 medical experts and an official from the National Health Commission, along with medical equipment to its destination 10,556 kilometers away.

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The equipment includes respirators, monitors, dual-channel infusion pumps, laboratory test kits, medical protective equipment and anti-virus drugs.

This is the second charter flight the Shanghai-based airliner has sent to Italy since the outbreak.

On Mar 12, China Eastern sent nine medical experts and about 9 tons of medical supplies from Shanghai to Rome, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the world since March, Italy became one of the hardest-hit nations.

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Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, China has been keeping close and consistent communications and cooperation with European nations, Geng said during a recent news conference.

The new expert team will share their experiences fighting the novel coronavirus pneumonia with Milan hospitals and other medical experts.