More cargo, passengers flown in 1st quarter

The civil aviation sector set records for passenger and cargo and mail volumes in the first quarter of this year, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Tuesday.

Throughput totaled 34.93 billion ton-kilometers, up 45.6 percent year-on-year and 12.9 percent more than in the first quarter of 2019. Domestic routes accounted for 23.86 billion ton-kilometers, while international routes accounted for 11.07 billion.

Civil aviation operators transported nearly 180 million passengers in the first quarter, representing a 37.7 percent year-on-year increase and a 10.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019.

Domestic passenger transport routes served 160 million passengers, up 14.3 percent compared to the same period in 2019, while international routes served 14.12 million passengers, down 22 percent from the same period in 2019.

Over 2 million metric tons of goods were transported in the first quarter, up 34.4 percent year-on-year and a 19.6 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019.

Domestic cargo transport routes accounted for 1.23 million tons, 8.2 percent more than in the same period in 2019, while international routes accounted for 775,000 tons, up 43.6 percent compared to the same period in 2019.

Civil aviation operators transported 54.73 million passengers last month, up 25.7 percent year-on-year and a 7.3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019. Cargo transport volume reached 708,000 tons, up 28.2 percent year-on-year increase and a 12.3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019.