China expects passenger traffic during Lunar New Year to double from 2022

FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective masks walk by an area decorated with lanterns during the Chinese Lunar New Year festivity at Yu Garden, following new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Shanghai, China February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song

China expects the total number of passenger trips made by travellers by road, rail, water and flight during the upcoming Lunar New Year to reach 2.1 billion this year, double from last year's 1.05 billion during the same period.

Traffic officials said in a news briefing on Friday that daily passenger flights scheduled during the 40 days holiday transportation season, starting Saturday, is averaging about 11,000, about 73% of the pre-COVID-19 level in 2019.

FILE PHOTO: People wear face masks upon their arrival at Beijing Capital Airport, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Beijing, China, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

(Reporting by Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh; Editing by Christopher Cushing)