Air passenger, cargo volumes drop in June

China’s air passenger volume fell 3.8% in June year-on-year, held down by cancellations following the May 12 Sichuan earthquake, Reuters reported. The drop was the second consecutive month of declining passenger and cargo volumes. A total of 13.02 million passengers, a decline of 2.6%, flew on China’s airlines on domestic routes, while 1.15 million passengers flew internationally, a drop of 16.1% over June 2007. Chinese airlines’ combined freight volume dropped 0.8% in June, to 320,000 tons. Industry executives reportedly expect an uptick in cargo and passenger numbers in September as airport security checks, tightened ahead of the Olympics, return to normal.