Air China Ltd filled more seats for the 21st straight month in October, boosted by higher demand on international routes, Bloomberg reported on November 13.

Passenger numbers of the nation's largest international carrier rose 9.9 percent to 2.93 million last month, the Beijing-based company said in a release on November 13. The airline filled 79.2 percent of seats, up from 78.1 percent a year earlier, after demand grew at a faster rate than capacity.

Growth in the world's fourth-largest economy is encouraging more people to travel by air, benefiting Air China and other carriers in the country. China's passenger numbers may rise 17 percent this year from 138.3 million in 2005, according to the country's aviation regulator.

Air China said it flew 522,000 passengers on overseas routes last month, a rise of 17 percent. The number of travelers on domestic routes rose 8.5 percent to 2.31 million, while passenger numbers on flights to Hong Kong and Macau increased 10 percent to 97,400.

The airline carried 75,273 metric tons of cargo in October, an increase of 14.4 percent.In the first 10 months of the year, Air China carried 26.5 million passengers, 14.4 percent more than a year earlier. The airline filled 76.6 percent of available seating, an increase of two percentage points.

Cargo volume between January and October rose 13.8 percent to 682,541 tons, Air China said.