China's air passenger volume shows improvement in June

BEIJING - China's civil aviation industry gradually recovered in June as key indicators reported narrowing declines from a month ago, data from the country's aviation regulator showed Friday.

Airlines flew a total of 30.74 million passengers last month, down 42.4 percent year on year. The decline narrowed 10.2 percentage points from May, according to information released at a press briefing of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

In the first half of the year, air passenger numbers came in at 150 million, equivalent to 45.8 percent of the volume seen during the same period last year.

Domestic routes saw 140 million passengers while international routes reported 8.52 million, equivalent to 48.6 percent and 23.5 percent of the respective volume seen for the same period last year, the data showed.

The CAAC adjusted policies for international passenger flights in early June, allowing more foreign carriers to resume flights to China on a once-a-week basis starting from June 8.

China may "modestly increase" flights from some qualified countries provided that risks are controlled and adequate receiving capacities are in place, according to the CAAC.

Air cargo volume fell 5.8 percent year on year to 578,000 tonnes last month, compared with a 12-percent decrease registered in May.

The punctuality rate of Chinese airlines reached 88.2 percent in June.