The first lung to be transported between two Chinese cities following a change in civil aviation rules to prioritize donated organs was successfully transplanted into a patient in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, on Wednesday afternoon.

Liu Dong, a doctor on the organ transport team, said the service provided by airlines "has significantly improved" in comparison to previous organ transport experiences.

"Now we don't need to explain too much at the airport about transporting donated human organs," said Liu. "The team went through the security checks more smoothly. The airport even arranged for a car to take us to the plane."