The aviation regulator of China stated on Wednesday that the daily transported air passenger numbers have risen to 7.9 percent in this month as of April 21, compared to March but still was only 29 percent of what was seen a year ago.
The number of daily flights in the nation rose to one percent in April to 6,586, which amounted to just 42 percent of the daily flights before the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) mentioned.
Number of air passengers increase in April
The global tourism industry is closely watching trends in China for clues to travel patterns in other major markets once the virus is brought under control and curbs on movement are lifted. The International Air Transport Association noted on Tuesday how the number of domestic flights in China had plateaued, after an early upswing from mid-February into the first week of March.
"Actual demand is expected to be significantly weaker as load factors on these flights are reported to be low. China accounts for some 24% of all domestic passengers," it said in a statement.
The CAAC said it had almost doubled the number of weekly cargo flights to 1,989 during the week of April 20-26, from 1,014 flights before the epidemic struck. Of the 1,989 flights, 939 had been converted from civil flights, it said. China last month said it would increase international cargo flight capacity and stabilize supply chains amid the coronavirus outbreak.
(With agency inputs)
