The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued the civil aviation statistics for 2015 at the National Civil Aviation Work Conference held in Beijing on Dec. 24. The highlights are as follows:

54.76 Billion Yuan

In January-November, the profit of China's civil aviation industry surged 76.2% from the same period a year to 54.76 billion yuan, hitting a historic high.

8.46 Million Hours

The civil aviation industry is forecast to achieve 8.46 million hours and 3.62 million aircraft movements in the whole year, up 10.8% and 7.4% respectively.

36.45 Million Hours

The civil aviation industry has operated safely for 64 consecutive months and accumulated 36.45 million hours of safe operation.

440 Million Passengers

Chinese airlines are expected to carry up to 440 million passengers and 6.3 million tonnes of cargo and mail by the end of 2015, a year-on-year increase of 11.4% and 6%, respectively.

4,511 Aircraft

4,511 aircraft are being in service in the civil aviation industry - 2,645 civil aircraft and 1,866 general aircraft.

82.5%

The load factor of China's scheduled flights records 82.5% for the whole year.

9 30-Million Passenger Club Members

9 domestic airports handle over 30 million passengers within the year of 2015. Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) joined China's 30 million passenger club on Dec. 1.

27 10-Million Passenger Club Members

27 domestic airports handle over 10 million passengers within the year of 2015. Fuzhou Changle International Airport (FOC) and Nanning Wuyu International Airport (NNG) joined China's 10 million passenger club for the first time.

54 Commercial Airlines

As of Nov. 30, 2015, China had a total of 54 commercial airlines - including 7 cargo airlines, 12 Sino-foreign joint airlines and 7 public airlines.

278 General Aviation Firms

As of Nov. 30, 2015, the number of China's general aviation firms amounted to 278, with 39 newly established this year.

45,013 Licensed Pilots

Currently the civil aviation industry has 45,013 licensed pilots, with 12,408 captains working at commercial carriers.

10.1%

Passenger throughout in domestic airports surged 10.1% over last year, with 13.5% in West China, 8.5% in Central China, 8.2% in Northeast China and 8.8% in East China, respectively.

3.8%

Cargo & mail throughput in domestic airports grew 3.8% over last year, with 5.6% in Central China, 5.0% in West China, 4.8% in Northeast China and 3.4% in East China, respectively.

3.364 Million Flights

Chinese airlines operate 3.364 million flights in 2015, the on-time performance (OTP) of which averages 68.41% this year.

3,091 Routes

3,091 routes operate in China, with 2428 domestic routes, 663 international routes, 56 Hong Kong routes, 23 Macau routes, and 114 Taiwan routes.

118 Countries

China has signed or initialed bilateral air transport agreements with 118 countries.

520 Million Yuan

This year CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) has given great impetus to the construction of green and low-carbon civil aviation, allocating 520 million yuan on 222 energy saving programs.

95.3 Billion Ton-Kilometers

CAAC forecasts a 95.3 billion ton kilometers of RTK (revenue ton kilometers), 485 million passenger throughput and 6.8 million cargo & mail throughput next year, up 11.5%, 10.7% and 8.3% over 2015 respectively. The industry plans to newly start 11 major projects, continue 52 projects, and invest 77 billion yuan on fixed assets in the whole industry next year.