📚 UCAS Applications Hit a Record High: UK Universities and Hainan Airlines Team Up on Charter Flights | 英国留学申请创新高，多所高校联手海航包机直飞返校
Demand for studying in the UK rose sharply during a distinctive period, and that surge produced specialised responses in both the commercial and public-service sectors - most visibly the student charter flights organised by airlines working alongside British universities. This article revisits the numbers behind the record application year, the practical transport arrangements that followed, and what the whole episode teaches students who are planning their own route to a UK campus.
赴英国留学的需求在特定时期出现了显著增长，这种增长催生了商业与公共服务领域的专门响应，其中最典型的便是航空企业联合英国高校组织的学生包机服务。本文回顾创纪录申请年份背后的数据、随之而来的实际出行安排，以及这一整套经验对正在规划赴英路线的学生意味着什么。
1. Record-Breaking Application Numbers | 申请人数创历史新高
Data released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) showed that Chinese students applying for UK undergraduate courses reached 24,000 that year, a rise of 23% compared with the same period a year earlier and a new all-time record. In the end, 8,840 applicants from mainland China received offers of a place, an increase of 14% year on year.
英国大学和学院招生服务（UCAS）公布的数据表明，当年申请英国大学本科课程的中国学生数量达到 2.4 万人，相比上年同期增长 23%，创下历史新纪录。最终，有 8840 名来自中国大陆的申请者获得录取，录取人数比上年增加 14%。
| Indicator | 指标 | Figure | 数据 | Change | 变化 |
| Mainland China undergraduate applicants | 中国大陆本科申请人数 | 24,000 | +23% year on year | 同比 +23% |
| Mainland China applicants accepted | 中国大陆获录取人数 | 8,840 | +14% year on year | 同比 +14% |
This upward trend was linked to a combination of factors: increasingly tense China-US relations, the relative stability of UK visa policy, and some students switching their intended study destination away from other countries.
这一增长态势与多重因素相关：中美关系局势趋于紧张、英国签证政策相对稳定，以及部分学生转变留学目的地。
2. The Scale of the Chinese Student Community | 中国学生群体的规模
A report published in 2019 by Universities UK pointed out that the number of mainland Chinese students studying in the UK at postgraduate level or above had already reached 106,000, forming an exceptionally large overseas study community.
英国大学联盟于 2019 年发布的报告指出，在英国接受本科以上教育的中国大陆学生人数已达到 10.6 万人，形成了规模庞大的留学群体。
The continued expansion of this group brought stable tuition income and cultural influence to the UK higher education sector, while at the same time making demand for related supporting services increasingly concentrated and urgent.
该群体持续扩大，给英国高等教育产业带来了稳定的学费收入与文化影响力，与此同时，也让相关配套服务的需求变得越发集中而迫切。
3. Pressure on Scheduled Flight Capacity | 常规航班运力吃紧
With large numbers of students needing to return to the UK before the autumn term began, the carrying capacity of ordinary commercial flights became insufficient during a concentrated window of time.
在大批学生需要在秋季开学前返回英国的情形下，常规商业航班在一段集中的时间内运力显得不够用。
In response, several Chinese airlines joined forces with a number of UK universities to organise dedicated charter flights carrying students directly from China to the UK - a targeted answer to an unusually predictable peak in demand.
针对这一状况，部分中国航空公司与英国多所高校联合起来，专门组织从中国直飞英国的学生包机航班，为这一异常集中且可预测的需求高峰提供了针对性方案。
4. The Hainan Airlines Charter Route | 海南航空包机航线
Hainan Airlines, for example, provided charter services for the Northern Consortium of UK universities. The service was scheduled to run from 21 September through to early November, with two flights a day departing from Chongqing and flying directly to Manchester.
举例来说，海南航空为英国北部大学联盟提供包机服务，计划自 9 月 21 日开始运营，延续到 11 月初，每天两趟航班，从重庆直飞曼彻斯特。
Running two rotations daily over roughly six weeks meant the operation was designed around volume rather than convenience: it concentrated capacity on one city pair so that students heading to universities across northern England could be moved in predictable batches.
在约六周内每天执行两班往返，意味着这项安排是以运量为核心而非以便利性为核心设计的：它把运力集中在一条城市航线上，使前往英格兰北部各大学的学生能够按可预测的批次成行。
5. Scheduled Routes Restored | 传统航空公司恢复航线
Alongside the charters, traditional carriers restored routes of their own. British Airways, after a gap of nearly eight months, announced in September that it was resuming direct flights between Shanghai and London.
除包机之外，传统航空公司也恢复了自身航线。英国航空在中断近八个月后，于 9 月宣布恢复上海至伦敦的直飞航班。
Taken together, these measures were aimed at solving the practical travel difficulties facing student groups. They represented a flexible adjustment by the aviation market to the needs of a specific group of passengers at a specific moment.
这一系列举措旨在解决学生群体实际面临的出行困难，是航空市场针对特定时段、特定人群需求做出的灵活调整。
6. Comparing the Cost of Getting There | 出行成本对比
Economic cost was an important consideration for students. Based on information available at the time, the economy-class fare on the Hainan Airlines charter was roughly CNY 1,880 excluding tax, while the business-class fare was around CNY 32,880 excluding tax.
学生出行的经济成本是一项重要考量。依据当时所掌握的相关信息，海南航空包机航班的经济舱不含税价约为人民币 1880 元，公务舱不含税票价约为 32880 元。
By way of contrast, a Virgin Atlantic economy-class ticket from Shanghai to London during the same period cost approximately CNY 25,809 including tax.
与之形成对照的是，同一期间维珍航空自上海前往伦敦的经济舱含税票价约为人民币 25809 元。
| Option | 选项 | Class | 舱位 | Approx. fare | 约计票价 | Tax | 税费 |
| Hainan Airlines charter | 海南航空包机 | Economy | 经济舱 | CNY 1,880 | Excluded | 不含税 |
| Hainan Airlines charter | 海南航空包机 | Business | 公务舱 | CNY 32,880 | Excluded | 不含税 |
| Virgin Atlantic, Shanghai-London | 维珍航空 上海-伦敦 | Economy | 经济舱 | CNY 25,809 | Included | 含税 |
The gap illustrates why charter places were so heavily oversubscribed: for a student, the difference between roughly CNY 1,880 before tax and more than CNY 25,000 all-in was not a matter of comfort but of whether the trip was affordable at all.
这一差距说明了包机名额为何会被如此超额争抢：对一名学生而言，不含税约 1880 元与含税逾 2.5 万元之间的差别，并非舒适度的问题，而是这趟行程是否承担得起的问题。
7. October Outbound Market Data | 十月出境市场数据
In October, market analysis indicated that the UK had become one of the most popular outbound destinations. Passenger volumes to the UK fell by only 5.5% compared with the same period a year earlier - a far smaller decline than for destinations such as Japan and the United States.
10 月时，市场分析表明英国已成为最受欢迎的出境目的地之一。前往英国的旅客量仅比上年同期下降 5.5%，其降幅远小于前往日本和美国等地的旅客量降幅。
This showed that even under restricted travel conditions, the rigid travel demand generated by UK study remained strong and continued to support the corresponding aviation market.
这说明即便在出行受限的状况下，英国留学所带来的刚性旅行需求依旧强劲，并支撑了相应的航空市场。
8. How Students Weighed the Decision | 学生的决策与考量
For students, whether to return to campus was a complex, composite decision. One student studying at the University of Southampton said that even though the charter flights did not cover her university, she still decided to spend more than CNY 20,000 on an economy-class ticket to fly back to the UK.
对学生来讲，能不能返校属于一个复杂的综合决定。在英国南安普顿大学上学的一名学生表示，即便包机并未涉及她所在的学校，她依旧决定花两万多元购买经济舱机票返回英国。
Her key consideration was continuity of study: choosing a gap year might have meant transferring to a domestic university and accepting closed management arrangements.
她的重点考虑是学业的连续性：要是选择间隔年，或许要转入国内大学并接受封闭式管理。
Many students found themselves in a similar position. Returning to the UK to continue studying was seen as the better option for preserving an existing educational arrangement and avoiding an interruption to their studies, and this emphasis on educational continuity was one of the main drivers pushing students to overcome difficulties and get back to campus at that stage.
不少学生处境类似，回到英国继续求学被视作维系原有教育安排、防止学业中断的更佳抉择。这种对教育连贯性的看重，是促使学生于特定阶段战胜困难、重返校园的主要动力之一。
9. Public Health and Entry Requirements | 健康安全与入境政策
At that time the public health situation and entry-related rules directly shaped travel arrangements. In early July, the number of newly confirmed cases per day in the UK had fallen below 600, but from mid-September onwards, as social activity increased, daily new cases climbed back to close to 4,000.
那时的公共卫生状况与入境相关政策直接影响了出行安排。英国在 7 月初每日新增确诊病例曾下降到 600 例以下，然而到 9 月中旬以来，伴随社会活动增加，每日新增又回升到接近 4000 例。
This meant that health risks during the journey became a central concern for students and their families.
这种状况致使旅途中的健康风险成为学生及其家庭关注的重点。
Entry policy in the UK at the time was comparatively streamlined: there was no requirement to take a nucleic acid test before flying. Passengers simply had to complete the UK government public health passenger locator form online within 48 hours of arrival and print the result, so that airlines could check it during check-in. This reduced the complexity of pre-departure preparation.
英国当时的入境政策相对较为简化，飞往英国无需提前进行核酸检测。旅客只要在抵达前 48 小时之内，在网上填写英国政府的公共卫生旅客定位表并打印出结果，供航空公司在办理登机手续之际核查即可。这一政策使出行前的准备复杂度有所降低。
10. Cross-Sector Coordination Behind the Flights | 包机背后的跨部门协作
The student charter programme was a case of organised, cross-industry collaboration involving multiple parties: Chinese embassies and consulates in the UK, local government, the civil aviation authorities of both China and the UK, airlines, and British universities.
这一回的学生包机属于有组织的行业协作案例，涉及中国驻英国使领馆、地方政府、中英两国民航主管部门、航空公司以及英国高校等多个方面。
The first batch of charter flights, for instance, was only able to operate with the support of the Chinese embassy and consulates in the UK together with the Chongqing municipal government, and after approval by the competent authorities of both countries.
举例来说，首批包机正是在中国驻英国使领馆以及重庆市政府的支持之下，通过两国主管部门审批之后才得以执行的。
11. Lessons for Future Travel Disruption | 未来的启示与协作模式
The episode showed that when demand is concentrated and predictable, cross-departmental and cross-industry collaboration can allocate resources efficiently and deliver a targeted solution.
此事件显示出，当面临集中且可预测的社会需求之际，跨部门以及跨行业的协作能够高效调配资源，并给出针对性的解决办法。
It did not merely resolve the transport difficulty of the moment. It also offered a reference model of cooperation for handling similar situations in the future, such as seasonal peaks on other routes serving international education hubs.
它不但解决了当时存在的运输难题，而且还为未来处理相似情形，例如其他国际教育热点地区的季节性高峰运输，提供了可供参考的协作模式。
Looking back at this stage of special arrangements, one question remains worth debating: should this kind of multi-party, cohort-specific charter model become a standing emergency measure to cope with international travel disruption that may arise again?
回眸这一阶段的特别安排，有一个问题依然值得探讨：这般经由多方协同、面向特定学生群体的包机服务样式，往后应不应该转变成一种常态化的应急举措，用以应对有可能再度浮现的国际旅行阻碍？
12. What It Means for A-Level Applicants | 给 A-Level 申请者的启示
For students preparing their own UK applications, the episode carries several practical lessons. Apply earlier than you think you need to, because demand for places and for travel both spike in the same narrow window each year.
对于正在准备英国申请的学生而言，这一事件带来几点实用启示。要比你以为的更早申请，因为每年名额与出行的需求都会在同一个狭窄的时间窗口内同时飙升。
Keep your academic plan continuous. Students in the case above chose to return to campus largely to avoid breaking the sequence of their studies - a gap year in a home-country institution was seen as the riskier path, not the safer one.
保持学业规划的连续性。上文案例中的学生之所以选择返校，很大程度上是为了避免打断学业序列——在国内院校读间隔年被视为风险更大的路径，而非更安全的路径。
Watch policy, not rumours. Entry requirements were simplified at the time and required only an online passenger locator form printed before boarding, yet inaccurate information circulated widely. Always confirm details with the UK government page and with your university international office.
关注政策本身，而非传言。当时入境要求已被简化，只需在登机前完成并打印在线旅客定位表，但不准确的信息依旧广为流传。请始终通过英国政府官方页面以及你就读大学的国际学生办公室确认细节。
Finally, understand that logistics and admissions are linked. A conditional offer is only useful if you can physically arrive, register and attend. Building in travel buffer time - and knowing which airline and route options exist - is part of a complete application strategy, not an afterthought.
最后，要明白出行安排与录取结果是相互关联的。有条件录取通知只有在你能实际抵达、注册并上课的前提下才有意义。预留出行缓冲时间，并了解有哪些航空公司与航线可选，是完整申请策略的一部分，而不是事后的补充想法。
Published by TutorHao | UK Admissions Revision Series | aleveler.com
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