Ground service crew unload cargo from a freight aircraft at the Ezhou Huahu International Airpot in Central China's Hubei Province on July 17, 2022. File photo: VCG

China's civil aviation sector maintained strong growth momentum in October, achieving a total transport turnover of 14.6 billion ton-kilometers, with both passenger and cargo transport showing double-digit growth, CCTV News reported on Tuesday, citing data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The robust growth of the country's civil aviation sector in October highlights the positive impact of trade and tourism, as the nation continues to expand its opening-up despite global complexities, a Chinese industry analyst said.

In October, the year-on-year growth rates of passenger, cargo and mail transport on international routes all exceeded 20 percent, said the CAAC.

In terms of passenger transport, domestic routes carried 60.845 million passengers last month, a year-on-year increase of 4.4 percent, while international routes carried 6.99 million passengers, up 20.4 percent year-on-year.

Regarding cargo transport, domestic routes handled 518,000 tons of cargo and mail, up 8.1 percent year-on-year, while international routes handled 399,000 tons, a 21 percent increase. The monthly cargo and mail volume surpassed 900,000 tons for the first time, according to the data.

In addition, from January to October, China's civil aviation sector completed a total transport turnover of 136.63 billion ton-kilometers, a year-on-year increase of 10.3 percent, and passenger transport volume grew 5.3 percent year-on-year. International routes saw passenger transport volume increase by 23.2 percent year-on-year.

From January to October, cargo and mail transport grew 13.9 percent year-on-year. Domestic routes handled 4.745 million tons, up 8.7 percent year-on-year, while international routes handled 3.568 million tons, a 21.7 percent increase.

The robust performance of both passenger and cargo transport in civil aviation reflects multiple positive signals across industries, Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"Air cargo is an important component of global trade. The significant increase in cargo and mail transport reflects a further improvement in China's manufacturing exports, cross-border e-commerce, and international trade activity, despite global complexities," Wang said, noting that the 20 percent growth rate of passenger, cargo and mail transport on international routes suggested that the profitability of international routes has been improving.

Within the total transport turnover, international routes have become a key driver of growth, indicating an increase in the internationalization of China's civil aviation and a strengthening of its openness and international cooperation, the expert said.