BEIJING — China's civil aviation industry saw continuous recovery in major indexes in the first quarter, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

In the first quarter of this year, the total transport turnover of the country's civil aviation industry was 20.3 billion metric ton-kilometers, a 22.8 percent year-on-year increase, CAAC statistics show.

Over the same period, China's civil aviation industry handled a total of 102 million air passenger trips and 1.78 million tons of air freight, respectively up 37.5 percent and 28.7 percent year-on-year.

Approximately 1.05 million flight movements were recorded in the first quarter, up 23.7 percent year-on-year.

In March, the number of domestic air passenger trips hit 47.68 million, exceeding the level seen during the same period in 2019.

China's civil aviation authorities and industry players have made concerted efforts to boost recovery and sustain the growth of the sector, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pressure on the aviation industry persists due to sporadic COVID-19 cases in some parts of China and the challenging global pandemic situation, according to the administration.