BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's market is expected to take delivery of 730 new aircraft with up to 150 seats over the next 10 years, according to Embraer's latest market forecast released Friday in Beijing.

Ninety-three percent of the deliveries will contribute to China's regional aviation market growth and the others will replace ageing aircraft, the Brazilian plane-maker said in its latest outlook for the Chinese commercial aviation market.

"Leading the global air traffic recovery, China has seen its domestic air passenger traffic resume to last year's level thanks to the country's effective COVID-19 control and massive market," said Guo Qing, managing director and vice president of Commercial Aviation, Embraer China.

Embraer forecasts say in the upcoming decade, China's civil aviation industry is expected to see a 5 percent annual average growth in revenue passenger kilometers.

"We remain positive about the Chinese civil aviation market and believe that China will play a role in leading the global air traffic market," Guo said.

The Chinese civil aviation market will require a more balanced fleet profile and route network structure to better serve more second and third-tier cities nationwide, he added.

Embraer is the world's largest regional aircraft manufacturer. At present, 99 E-jets series of Embraer regional airplanes are serving the Chinese market, supporting connectivity among second and third-tier cities.

During the pandemic, small and medium-sized aircraft and regional flights have been instrumental in the quick recovery of China's air service.

"With the increased number of airports, the Chinese market calls for aircraft with an appropriate number of seats to serve diversified demands, especially on the regional routes," Guo said, adding that Embraer believes that aircraft with up to 150 seats will release the company's potential in the Chinese market.

"The coordination between regional and trunk aviation will further enhance China's air transport capacity," he said. "Regional aircraft will support airlines to enhance differentiated competitiveness with better efficiency and flexibility."

China has shown commitment to boosting its civil aviation sector in recent years. The country had 238 civil transport airports by the end of 2019, and the figure is expected to reach 241 by the end of 2020, according to statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

China remains the world's second-largest civil aviation market, with 660 million passenger trips in 2019. Enditem

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