China’s civil aviation sector recorded substantial recovery in 2023, with the air passenger trips more than double that of 2022, according to an official statistical communique.

The country reported about 619.58 million air passenger trips last year, a spike of 146.1 percent year on year, according to a communique released on the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s website.

The sector’s total transport volume of cargo and mail topped 7.35 million tons in 2023, up 21 percent from the previous year.

In 2023, China had 5,206 regular domestic air routes, linking 255 mainland cities or regions. The country’s international airlines linked China with 127 cities in 57 countries, according to the communique.

By the end of 2023, there were 259 domestic transport airports, up 5 from the end of 2022. Among them, 38 airports had an annual passenger throughput of 10 million or above, the report noted.

China’s civil aviation authorities have committed to boosting the frequency of international passenger flights as a primary goal for this year, aiming to revive international air travel further.

Several airlines have recently launched new international routes to facilitate travel between China and other countries. For example, Air China inaugurated the Beijing-Madrid-Sao Paulo route on April 27, while China Southern Airlines began operating the Shenzhen-Mexico City route on May 11. In addition, Hainan Airlines is set to launch the Shenzhen-Budapest route, and China Southern Airlines will also open the Guangzhou-Budapest route soon.