China on Monday sent two planes to Egypt to bring back Chinese citizens stranded there.

Photo taken on Jan. 31, 2011 shows an Airbus A330 chartered plane (L) at an airport in Beijing, capital of China. The chartered plane, which is able to carry 265 passengers, took off at 11:30 a.m. Monday, to evacuate Chinese citizens stranded in Cairo. Some 500 Chinese citizens were stranded at the airport in Cairo. [Ma Ruzhuang/Xinhua]

The two planes left Beijing Monday noon, according to sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the security of Chinese citizens in Egypt, and has coordinated relevant airlines to increase flights to bring back stranded Chinese citizens," the sources said.

Meanwhile, a working taskforce composed of officials from the Foreign Ministry, National Tourism Administration, Ministry of Public Security and Civil Aviation Administration has also left for Egypt.

According to earlier media report, Air China International dispatched an Airbus A330 to Cairo at 11:30 a.m., which can accommodate 265 passengers. Another Airbus A330-200 ran by Hainan Airlines also flied to Cairo at 12:00 a.m.