Hua Ao, Jin Yi, Wen Yu, Xiang Ge, Shui Ling and Qing Feng were transported from the China Giant Panda research Center in Ya'an City and arrived at the Beijing Zoo after a flight of two and a half hours.

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They arrived at their enclosure at Beijing Zoo at 7 p.m.. Some of them staggered out of the transportation cage and went slowly into the pen and others were dragged out.

"They are in good shape both physically and psychologically," said Zhang Jinguo, vice head of the zoo.

He said the six 2-year-old pandas were carefully selected because they are "lovely, highly adaptable and good looking."

Zhang said the zoo would ensure the pandas had sufficient food of 150 kg fresh bamboos and 12 kg bamboo shoots every day, along with apples, milk powder and carrots.

"They will make their first public debut on May 1," he added.

It is not the first time that pandas from Sichuan have been airlifted to Beijing.

Eight pandas were flown to Beijing last May to add cheer to the Olympics. They returned to Sichuan in March.