China's civil aviation sector grows steadily in first seven months of 2018

The civil aviation sector in China expanded at a steady rate in the first seven months of the current year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Total air transport turnover reached 68.8 billion tonne-km in the Jan.-July period, up 12.8 per cent year on year, a faster growth than the 12.5-per cent increase for 2017, said the official data.

A total of 350.3 million passenger trips were made during the period, up 12.1 per cent year on year, compared with a 13-per cent increase last year. Cargo turnover rose 6.6 per cent year-on-year to 4.1 million tones.

China has the world's second-largest aviation market, after the United States of America, reports Xinhua.

The country aims to realize 142 billion tonne-km of air transport turnover by 2020, with passenger trips to reach 720 million a year.