BEIJING, April 18 -- China's civil aviation transport logged a steady rebound in the first quarter of this year, Li Yong, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, told a press conference on Tuesday.

Total transport turnover of the sector stood at 23.99 billion tonne-kilometers, up 39.7 percent year on year, according to Li.

More than 129 million air passenger trips were handled in the first three months of this year, surging 68.9 percent year on year, recovering to 80 percent of the level in the same period of 2019. Of the total, international trips accounted for 2.24 million, up 717 percent year on year.

In the first quarter, cargo and mail volume of China's civil aviation sector hit 1.49 million tonnes, recovering to 89 percent of the 2019 level, Li said.

He added that the civil aviation sector is expected to maintain a steady recovery trend.