China air travel market now almost at pre-pandemic levels
Air travel in China is flying high again with airline booking volume almost at pre-pandemic levels again.
Airline bookings in China were at 98% of last year’s levels in mid-August, according to data collated by travel research firm ForwardKeys.
It says the air travel recovery should be complete by the beginning of September.
"This is a highly significant moment because it is the first time since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak that a major segment of the aviation market anywhere in the world has returned to pre-pandemic levels," said Olivier Ponti, VP of Insights at ForwardKeys.
In comparison domestic air travel in the US is down by nearly a half according to Airlines for America as the US struggles to contain still rising cases of Covid-19 in many states.
Discounted fares have helped the China air market recover, according to ForwardKeys.
Domestic tourism restarted across China over the past few months including the important group tour market.
However outbound international tourism is still off-limits for now.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Pacific editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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