Up to 13 universities in the UK alone could be put out of business by the end of this year if too many overseas students decide to stay at home, so it's no surprise that many seats of learning are going to extraordinary lengths to ensure this year's intake can travel back to class.

George Holmes, vice-chancellor of the University of Bolton, explains to Stephen Cole why he's planning to charter a special flight out of Beijing – and why universities need to start thinking of their overseas students as customers.

When asked what the university is doing to try to ensure international students arrive, Holmes said: "We intend to block-book a charter to send a plane to China and to India, to Shanghai and Delhi – they become a quarantine bubble for when they enter the UK. So we can meet them at the airport ... and ship them off on university coaches to university accommodation that then allows them to be in a bubble for 14 days before they actually join the campus.

"That keeps them COVID-19 secure."