BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China's civil aviation sector maintained steady expansion in the first half of this year (H1), with total transport turnover rising 6.4 percent year on year to 83.37 billion tonne-kilometers, official data showed Thursday.

The flight CA1279 of Air China receives a water salute after arriving at the Nanniwan Airport in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on June 24, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

During the January-June period, the sector handled 380 million passenger trips, up 1 percent year on year. Cargo and mail transport volume increased 6 percent to 5.073 million tonnes, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

A robust expansion in international transport emerged as a major highlight of the sector's H1 performance. China added seven international passenger destinations and 19 international cargo destinations during this period.

Passenger and cargo volumes handled by Chinese airlines in the Asia-Europe market both surged over 20 percent year on year. Notably, passenger traffic to Central Asia, South Asia, and Latin America jumped 79.8 percent, 42.3 percent, and 78.5 percent, respectively.

The sector's operational efficiency also saw continuous improvement. The flight regularity rate reached 93.5 percent in H1.

With the arrival of the summer travel rush, the daily average number of flights in China has recently rebounded to 18,000, and daily passenger trips have stabilized above the 2-million mark.