Passengers queue up to check in at Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 26, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's civil aviation industry reported significant growth across major indicators in 2024 and set goals for international flight recovery in 2025, according to data and plans revealed Thursday at a national civil aviation work conference.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced that the industry achieved a total transportation turnover of 148.52 billion tonne-km in 2024, a 25 percent year-on-year increase and 14.8 percent higher than that of 2019.

Passenger traffic reached 730 million, up 17.9 percent from the previous year and 10.6 percent higher than in 2019. Cargo and mail volume hit 8.982 million tonnes, up 22.1 percent year on year and 19.3 percent higher compared to the 2019 figure.

At the conference, Song Zhiyong, head of the CAAC, revealed that international passenger flights increased to 6,400 per week in 2024, recovering to 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels. International cargo and mail transportation volume saw a substantial 29.3 percent year-on-year growth.

Looking ahead to 2025, the CAAC predicts transportation turnover will reach 161 billion tonne-km, with passenger traffic expected to hit 780 million and cargo and mail volume reaching 9.5 million tonnes, Song said.

The CAAC aims to diversify aviation products, focusing on inbound tourism, low-altitude flights, study tours, family travel and senior citizen tourism.

It also aims to accelerate the recovery of international flights. According to the work conference, the CAAC plans to restore international flight capacity to over 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2025.

The CAAC intends to actively develop the international transfer market by taking advantage of the country's optimization of transit visa-free policies.

In November 2024, China extended its visa-free transit policy, allowing ordinary passport holders from 38 countries to visit China for 30 days without applying for a visa.

In December 2024, the country announced a significant relaxation of the visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers to 240 hours from the previous periods of either 72 or 144 hours.

Statistics reveal that between January and November last year, foreign nationals made over 29.2 million entries to China, an increase of 86.2 percent year on year. Approximately 60 percent of these entered through the expanded visa waiver program.

"The boom in the inbound tourism market aligns well with China's focus on stimulating demand," said Xu Hong, dean of the College of Tourism and Service Management at Nankai University.

Beyond air travel, China also witnessed a remarkable surge in rail travel in 2024, fueled by vigorous economic activities and robust consumer spending. According to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd, the country's railway network handled a record 4.08 billion passenger trips in 2024, a 10.8 percent year-on-year increase.

As a bellwether of economic growth, the record travel figures signal a steady rise in China's consumption willingness, said Xu.