Officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China at the press conference Photo: Tu Lei/GT

The total number of passengers carried by China's civil flights reached 420 million in 2020, ranking the second place in the world for the 15th consecutive year, according to Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

China's aviation market has recovered faster than other markets, according to a CAAC said, thanks to the strict measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

In the fourth quarter of 2020, total air transport turnover of China's civil aviation recovered to 76.3 percent of the level a year ago. In total the civil aviation transport turnover in 2020 made up 61.7 percent of the annual turnover in 2019. 

In terms of passenger volume, in the fourth quarter of 2020, total passengers carried in civil aviation reached 84.2 percent compared to the same period in 2019, and domestic flights have recovered to 94.5 percent compared to 12 months ago. Total passenger numbers in civil aviation in 2020 reached 420 million, around 63.3 percent of the total passenger number in 2019, according to CAAC. 

In November, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted that performance of the world airlines industry will improve in 2021, although significant economic losses will continue, potentially as high as $38.7 billion. China was expected to lead the sector's recovery, the IATA said. 

Global Times