China's civil aviation passenger transport scale reaches new heights

The scale of civil aviation passenger transport reached a new high in July, Economic Daily reported on Wednesday.

The number of passenger transport witnessed an 83.7 percent year-on-year growth to reach 62.43 million in July, up 5.3 percent over the same period in 2019, setting a monthly new record high for civil aviation.

A total of 59.08 million passengers were transported on domestic routes in July, up 74.6 percent year-on-year, and the passenger scale exceeded 12.1 percent in the same period of 2019.

Summer travel demand has driven the continued growth of the air transport market last month, said Zhan Fen, associate researcher of China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology.

In addition, relative polices to promote consumption, tourism and the resumption of international flights have contributed to the continued growth of the air transport market, Zhan said.

The civil aviation international passenger transport market was still in the recovery stage in July, with a total of 3.35 million passengers transported, up 32.6 percent from the previous month.

The passenger scale for international passenger transport was equivalent to 50.9 percent of the same period in 2019.

To further tap the civil aviation international passenger transport market's potential, the supply of international flights should be improved and the list of destinations for outbound group tours should be continuously expanded to unleash market demand.

Meanwhile, the integrated development of aviation and tourism industries should be strengthened with innovative and optimized air travel products, and more cost-effective air travel for passengers, according to Zhan.

The long waiting period for visa granting problems should also be solved as it currently takes a long time to get the visa for popular travel destinations, said Lin Zhijie, an aviation industry analyst.

Apart from promoting the recovery of the international market, the potential for the domestic market should also be tapped by accelerating transport capacity optimization and adjustment, improving passenger load factor and optimizing products and services, said Zhan.

The growth momentum for the domestic civil aviation market is expected to continue in August with the continuous hot summer tourism, said Qi Qi, an associate professor at Guangzhou Civil Aviation College.

The demand for the international civil aviation market is projected to increase with China's improved international competitiveness in the industry and the need for cultural exchanges, Qi said.