In May, China’s domestic air passenger traffic increased 26% from a year earlier. The figures seem to indicate the civil aviation sector is now in a stable period of growth and that these figures are not — a favorite phrase to use about moving out of a recession — a dead cat bounce.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in the first five months of this year, domestic air passenger traffic also went up 18%. But that is domestic, not international. Passenger figures for international flights declined over 17%.
Since June, many domestic air carriers have added routes and flight density. The estimate is that this year the total flight number of domestic routes will top 33,000 each week.
CCTV.com reports that Li Jiaxiang, Director of Civil Aviation Administration of China, said "We haven’t seen a 26% increase for years. It’s also the fastest single month of growth this year. This indicates that our domestic demand in the aviation sector is still booming. It also reflects energetic economic activity in China."