BEIJING: China’s domestic flights rose by about a fifth in March from the previous month, the aviation regulator said, but that was still less than half the flights before the shutdowns due to the coronavirus, showing the sector is recovering only gradually.
The number of daily flights climbed 20.5 percent in March to 6,533, JinJunhao, an official at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told a press conference on Thursday. That was still just 42 percent of the daily flights before the coronavirus struck.
Most of the increased travel demand in March was from labour abundant regions such as southwest and northwest China to coastal areas where labour demand was tight, he said.
The aviation industry is closely watching domestic capacity in China as a harbinger of demand recovery trends in other markets around the world that are still in a capacity cutting phase as the pandemic spreads.
Major state-backed carriers this week warned that fares remained low, fewer seats were filled than usual and cautious travelers were waiting until the last minute to book.
The rebound in China has been hampered by the slower-than-expected recovery in broader economic activity.
Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines said this week they were looking to defer airplane deliveries despite a gradual rebound in capacity, according to analysts who listened to post-results teleconferences.
China Eastern said it had aimed to operate 40-50 percent of its domestic flights in March but there was demand for only around 30 percent based on bookings, according to BOCOM International analyst Luya You.
Air China forecast a rebound in the domestic market in June, with an international market recovery taking until August at the earliest, analysts said.
China Southern had 45 percent of its aircraft idle in March, an improvement from 52 percent in February.
