It was the kind of welcome usually reserved for Hollywood stars and world leaders, but as the crew of the "Panda Express" unloaded its precious cargo on Friday after landing in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, it was obvious that this arrival meant far more to the cheering crowds that had gathered to meet the plane.

Tai Shan enjoys a feast upon his arrival at Chengdu's Shuangliu International Airport on Friday. [China Daily]

Experts and media thronged Shuangliu International Airport's parking apron for more than two hours to get a glimpse of Tai Shan and Mei Lan, the two United States-born pandas who were arriving in their homeland for the first time.

Giant panda Tai Shan in the cage is unloaded from the plane at Shuangliu Airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, February 5, 2010. Giant pandas Tai Shan and Mei Lan, which were born in the United States, flew back home from Washington on Friday.  [Xinhua]

The very special FedEx delivery landed at 4:26 PM but excited onlookers had to wait another 30 minutes before the guests of honor made an appearance.

"Quarantine officers had to spray disinfectant on the cabin, the pandas and their droppings before they were unloaded from the plane," said Huang Xiangming, director of the animal management department at Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding.

The "Panda Express" is a custom-decaled 777 freighter, the world's largest twin-engine cargo aircraft. Both animals had separate air-conditioned enclosures and were cared for during the flight by a team of experts.

Their luggage included water, 75 kg of bamboo, their favorite fruits, biscuits and a box of farewell letters from the US public.

Tai Shan, who is male, was born at the National Zoological Park in Washington DC and attracted millions of visitors during four and a half years there. Mei Lan, a 3-year-old female, was born and raised in the Zoo Atlanta in Georgia.

Under the agreement for global giant panda preservation, giant pandas born overseas belong to China and must be sent back after they turn 2 years old. However, China agreed to extend Tai Shan's loan.

After a brief welcoming ceremony in the airport terminal, the pandas were loaded on separate trucks at about 6:30 pm. Tai Shan looked calm and at ease, while Mei Lan seemed restless.

"The pandas were healthy during the flight. Tai Shan slept a lot and ate some 25 kg of bamboos, which even surprised me," said Nicole Meese, 36, Tai Shan's keeper since he was a month old.

Meese said she only slept three hours during the trip because she was comforting Tai Shan, feeding and playing with him, as well as scratching his ears.

"I can't believe baby bear is leaving us," she said tearfully. She explained that she called him "baby bear" before he was officially named.

"I still can't forget when he was a month old how he gradually opened his eyes, then ears and began to take in his world," said Meese, who will spend two days with Tai Shan at the Bifengxia Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya'an, which is 150 km from Chengdu.

Mei Lan arrived in her new home at the Chengdu Research Base at 7:10 PM, while Tai Shan arrived at the Bifengxia Base at 8:40 PM.