China's overall aviation transportation saw a big profit increase in this year's first five months, the first of its kind in recent years, according to statistics from the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), the industry's watchdog.

According to figures released by the CAAC, in the first five months of this year, the country's overall aviation transportation turnover reached 58.86 billion yuan (US$7.09 billion) and profits rose to 4.63 billion yuan (US$561 million), three billion more than that of the same 2002 period.

The aviation industry was ushering in a new round of rapid growth, experts said, as its profits jumped for the first time by a large margin in recent years.

Over 46 million people traveled by air in the first five months, the statistics show, an increase of 36.8 percent compared to the same 2002 period, among which, the number of passengers of international air routes grew most.

The average occupancy rate of the industry also saw an increase of 9.1 percent in the first five months from the corresponding period of 2002 to stand at 67 percent.  

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2004)