(Yicai) Aug. 16 -- Chinese airlines transported more passengers in July than ever amid summer holidays and recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, boosting aviation companies' annual performance outlook.

Aviation companies transported 62.4 million passengers last month, up 84 percent from a year ago and a 5 percent uptick from July 2019, a time before the Covid-19 pandemic, The Paper reported today, citing data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Domestic routes transported 59.1 million people, up 12 percent from the same month in 2019, and overseas routes transported 3.4 million people, equal to 51 percent of the figure in 2019.

China Eastern Airlines, one of China's big three state airlines, boosted its passenger flow by more than 150 percent last month from a year earlier. Juneyao Airlines doubled its passenger turnover while Spring Airlines, another Shanghai-based private airline, boosted its figure by 59 percent.

Juneyao's staff said to The Paper that the company's summer season performance is within expectations. The airline could turn a profit in the first half but the sum may be lower than expected due to foreign exchange fluctuations. Still, the firm is quite confident it will reverse its 2022 loss and make a profit in 2023, the person added.

More people are traveling and ticket prices are rising but outbound travel is lagging domestic recovery. An employee of Spring Airlines said to the same news outlet that overseas routes will rebound faster in the second half as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day approach.

After the State Council announced on Aug. 14 that the two public holidays will result in eight straight days of time off work and school from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6, flight searches jumped by double-digits on a platform of travel agency Ly.Com while ticket prices are expected to surge.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Emmi Laine