Taking flight

China's air travel market has witnessed a strong recovery after the pandemic. In the first half of this year, China transported 350 million passengers by air domestically, growing 24 percent year-on-year. The figure was 9 percent above the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The growth indicates that the country's air travel market has completely emerged from the shadow of the pandemic, and the sector is steadily returning to its natural growth level, the CAAC said.

Meanwhile, the number of international and regional air passengers in the first half of this year rebounded to 79 percent of the 2019 level. Travel demand between China and Europe, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, in particular, has been strong, the CAAC said.

"This summer, popular international passenger routes continue to concentrate on traditional tourism markets such as Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries," said Xu Qing, a CAAC official.

"Driven by major events such as the Paris Olympic Games, there has been a significant increase in the number of flights from China to France. Besides, airlines have added more flights to countries such as Denmark, Hungary and Greece," Xu said.

The CAAC said it will support Chinese and foreign airlines increase their capacity on international passenger routes, further boost the number of flights based on market conditions, and better meet the travel demand of passengers.

With multiple countries introducing favorable visa policies for Chinese travelers, along with China's visa-free policy for some foreign countries, China has seen a significant growth in the number of inbound and outbound passengers.

In the first six months of this year, 14.64 million foreign travelers visited China through various ports across the country, with the number surging 152.7 percent year-on-year, according to the National Immigration Administration.