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| Chinese travel increases as SARS abates |
| CCTV.COM 2003-06-14 15:06:37 |
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With the SARS epidemic abating in China, the civil aviation industry is seeing a gradual rise in passenger volumes. To boost sales, some airlines are turning to discount tickets to attract travelers. The rail industry is also reporting an increase in passenger volume.
Due to the impact of SARS, passenger volume of Air China fell to a new low in mid－May. According to the company, average daily passenger volume was less than 5,000. However, since the beginning of June, the situation has begun to improve.
Zhang Chunzhi, deputy general manager of Marketing and Sales Department of Air China, said, "We are now operating at about 65 to 70 percent of capacity. The market is recovering and we are bullish on that. Once Beijing is no longer listed as a SARS epidemic area, passenger volumes should return to their normal level."
Currently, traffic at Guangzhou and Beijing airports has increased, but still has a long way to go to achieve normal levels. Airlines are trying to attract customers by discounting tickets, sometimes as much as 60 percent. However, some industry analysts are still cautioning that civil aviation industry needs time to recover, since the increase in passenger volume continues to be slow.
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Editor: Yang Feiyang CCTV.com
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