What’s new: China’s airlines and railways both served a record number of passengers during the first quarter as domestic travel demand rebounded from the pandemic.
The country’s airlines carried a record 180 million people during the first three months, marking a 37.7% increase from a year ago and 10.2% higher than the figures before the Covid pandemic in 2019, according to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The number of domestic trips rose 14.3% from 2019 to 160 million, while international travel still lagged, totaling 14.1 million, or 78% of the 2019 figure.
The railway system saw its highest first-quarter passenger volume in seven years, with more than 1 billion passengers. Daily trips rose 28.5% year-on-year to 11.1 million, 18.9% higher than 2019, according to China State Railway Group Co. Ltd.
The context: A major factor for the increased travel volume was the Spring Festival, during which there was a notable spike in travel due to extended holidays and the release of pent-up travel demand from previous pandemic restrictions.
China’s airline industry saw considerable improvement in performance, with a significant turnaround to profitability in the first quarter, driven by increased passenger volumes and revenues. According to China Air Transport Association, Chinese airlines reversed a net loss to report total net profit of 2.46 billion yuan in the first quarter.
According to monthly performance data released by the three biggest airlines, Air China Ltd.’s March passenger traffic was up 50% while China Southern Airlines Co. booked an increase of 36.1%. China Eastern Airlines Corp.’s passenger traffic rose 55.9%.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
