BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A chartered Air China plane carrying the Beijing Olympic flame touched down at the Beijing Airport Monday morning.

Beijing Olympics' top organizer Liu Qi walked off the plane, carrying a lantern which holds the sacred flame.

A welcome ceremony for the Olympic flame will be held late this morning at Tian'anmen Square.

The torch relay officially starts on Tuesday in Beijing when the flame is scheduled to depart for Almaty, capital of Kazakhstan.