HAIKOU, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- HNA Cruise, operator of the Chinese cruise liner detained in Jeju Island, said Sunday it has chartered two planes to transport passengers on board the ship back to China.

The two planes left the Beijing Capital International Airport on Sunday.

A total of 450 passengers from the cruise ship, the Henna, have arrived at the airport on Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea for the first plane.

The ship, with 1,659 passengers and a crew of 650 on board, was scheduled to sail at 4:00 p.m. Friday from Jeju to Incheon. It was detained before departure by a Jeju court which received a seizure application on claims of legal disputes from another Chinese company, according to HNA Cruise.

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Chinese cruise liner detained in Jeju Island

BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's National Tourism Administration (NTA) asked on late Saturday for the immediate release of a Chinese cruise, the Henna, which was detained on Friday in Jeju Island, the Republic of Korea (ROK), by a local court upon a request of another Chinese company.

The NTA has contacted the ROK Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and asked the ROK side to take measures and release the cruise liner as soon as possible, an NTA spokesman told Xinhua. Full story