China is expected to see a record number of air passenger travel in 2024, said Song Zhiyong, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Speaking at the Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety 2024 (AP-SAS 2024) that opened in Beijing on Tuesday, Song said air passenger travel could reach 700 million this year.
In the first half of the year, the total transportation revenue, passenger trips, and cargo and mail transportation volume of China’s civil aviation sector increased by 11.9 percent, 9 percent and 18.7 percent respectively compared with the same period in 2019, Song noted.
In terms of scale, the country’s civil air transportation has ranked second in the world for 19 consecutive years, and its contribution to global aviation growth has exceeded 20 percent, according to Song.
At present, China has 4,335 transport aircraft and 262 airports, with a total carrying capacity of 1.6 billion passengers, Song said.
According to him, the annual flight time of unmanned aerial vehicles has reached tens of millions of hours, and the number of newly registered drones is increasing at a rate of 100,000 per month.
The AACC jointly organised AP-SAS 2024 with the Flight Safety Fund and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to discuss safety challenges as well as measures to enhance aviation safety.
The theme of this year’s summit is “Shaping Safety Excellence: A Human-Centred Approach.”
Launched in 2023, AP-SAS provides a platform for aviation leaders and professionals to connect and share experiences and expertise on aviation safety issues.
