China's mainland carriers flew 16 percent more passengers in the first quarter of 2007 as economic growth boosted travel demand.

The carriers flew 40.9 million passengers in the three months to March 31, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) said on April 23. Cargo volume rose 13 percent from a year earlier to 858,000 tonnes.

Air travel in the country may grow 7.2 percent a year until 2025, creating US$288 billion (HK$2.25 trillion) worth of demand for new passenger planes, according to a forecast by Airbus, world's largest commercial-plane maker.

China's carriers had a total 1,028 planes at the end of March.

The nation's passenger fleet will likely more than double to 2,666 by 2025, according to Airbus.