Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Capital International Airport

Key data for the Chinese aviation industry in the third quarter of this year indicates a strong recovery, official figures showed on Friday, with the industry benefiting from continuous efforts by the government to boost the economy. 

In the third quarter, the civil aviation industry completed a total transportation turnover of 40.35 billion ton-kilometers, 200 million passenger trips, and 2.315 million tons of cargo, representing year-on-year increases of 19.8 percent, 12.3 percent, and 19.4 percent, respectively, according to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). 

The scale of transportation reached a record high, the CAAC said. 

In terms of passenger transport, the industry completed 180 million passenger trips on domestic routes in the third quarter, a year-on-year increase of 8.3 percent, and 18.226 million passenger trips on international routes, a year-on-year increase of 78 percent.

Meanwhile, the international air passenger transport market continues to recover rapidly. The number of international passengers transported by Chinese airlines has recovered to more than 90 percent of the same period in 2019 for three consecutive months since July, the CAAC said. 

Market watchers attributed the performance to rising market demand amid China's steady economic recovery.

China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.8 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2024, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. 

Sheng Laiyun, deputy head of the NBS, said that positive factors in the economic recovery have accumulated and increased in September, adding that most indicators for production and demand have improved and market expectations are also better.

The recovery in international flights is expected to continue in the upcoming winter-spring civil aviation season, which begins this Sunday and runs until March 29, 2025. 

A total of 194 domestic and foreign airlines plan to arrange 118,000 passenger and cargo flights per week, an increase of 1.2 percent over the same period last year, the CAAC said. 

From a regional perspective, the passenger route network to Latin America and Africa will be further expanded, the number of flights to North America will be increased, and traditional markets such as Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and Europe will make steady progress, the CAAC said. 

The freight market will continue its growth, with flights to markets such as United Arab Emirates, Germany, the UK, Belgium, the US, and Canada set to increase significantly.

International passenger flights at Beijing Capital International Airport are expected to reach an average of 176 flights per day, an increase of 10 flights compared with the same period of 2023, data from Beijing Capital International Airport showed on Friday. The airport said that the number of international destinations is expected to reach 82, marking a slight increase compared to the summer-autumn civil aviation season in 2024. 

Air China said it will increase the flight frequency in around 20 routes, including flights from Beijing to Phuket, Seoul, Nagoya, Ho Chi Minh City and Melbourne. 

Global Times