Domestic airline passengers up 16.7% in first half

The number of passengers traveling on Chinese airlines rose 16.7% to 86.7 million compared to the same period last year, state media reported. Passengers on domestic flights increased 16.2% to 78.8 million, while international passengers rose 21.8% to 7.9 million. According to the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, revenues generated by China's civil aviation sector also rose 18.3% to US$15.82 billion. The number of aircraft in the civil aviation sector rose by 56 in the first half, now totaling 1,054 planes.