Airlines lose passengers to high-speed trains  

高铁冲击致15%民航航线运量下滑

中国民航局副局长李军20日在北京召开的全国民航工作会上披露，今年1月—11月，高铁对民航运输总周转量影响达0.3个百分点，下滑航线达15%。

Beijing (CNS) -- Facing competition from new high-speed railway lines, almost 15 percent of Chinese airlines saw fewer passengers from January to November this year, a civil aviation authority has said.

Li Jun, deputy chief of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, made the remarks Thursday during a national conference on civil aviation. Nearly 0.3 percent of the total turnover volume of the aviation industry has been affected by high-speed railways, he said.

Li also said the high-speed rails are taking pressure off the aviation industry at a time of massive demand, particularly in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Half of all flights that travel less than 500 kilometers have been affected by high-speed railways, according to research by the Civil Aviation Administration. The figure is lower for routes that are 500 to 1,000 kilometers long.

Almost 58 percent of domestic airlines will be covered once a "four-vertical" and "four-horizontal" high-speed rail network is established, an insider said.