NEW: A flight carrying Chen Guangcheng to New York is due to take off soon NEW: Chen is expected to start a new chapter in his life as a student at NYU China has said blind human rights activist can apply to study abroad U.S. authorities have completed the paperwork for him to travel to the United States Beijing (CNN) -- Chen Guangcheng, the Chinese human rights activist who ignited a diplomatic frenzy when he escaped house arrest last month, says he is at Beijing airport Saturday and is getting ready to fly to New York. He and his family checked in and are expected to travel on a United flight from Beijing to Newark International Airport. The plane was expected to take off soon after 5 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), carrying Chen to a new chapter in his life as a student at New York University. Chen earlier told CNN he, his wife and two children were waiting to clear security, although they had had not yet seen their own passports. Profile: Chen Guangcheng ChinaAid, a Texas-based Christian human rights organization, said its president, Bob Fu, had spoken to Chen Saturday. Chen told him that Chinese officials had instructed the family to pack up and leave for the United States that day, ChinaAid said in a statement. "ChinaAid and (the) Chen family deeply appreciate the international community's tireless efforts for Chen and his immediate family's freedom," the statement added. Chen told CNN the short notice for his departure did not surprise him. Chen said Wednesday he had received passport applications for himself and his family. U.S. authorities have completed all the processing for Chen, his wife and two children to travel to the United States, where Chen has been invited to study by NYU, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said this week. Activist's escape like a Hollywood thriller Earlier this week, U.S. lawmakers listened to Chen describing reprisals that he said his relatives continue to suffer at the hands of the authorities in Shandong Province in eastern China. Family suffering reprisals, Chen tells lawmakers ChinaAid urged the international community to continue to monitor the situation for Chen's extended family in China, amid concerns over possible reprisals by the authorities. After spending six days in the U.S. Embassy following his escape from house arrest, the prominent human rights activist left for a hospital, but then pleaded to be allowed to leave China. His spell in the U.S. Embassy caused a diplomatic firestorm, coming as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was about to visit China. CNN's Steven Jiang contributed to this report.