BEIJING, May 16 -- China's civil aviation transport saw strong recovery momentum in April, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Tuesday.

The total transport turnover of the sector was 9.31 billion tonne-kilometers, soaring 214.5 percent year on year and recovering to 88.6 percent of the level recorded in the same period of 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, administration official Li Yong told a press conference.

Nearly 50.28 million air passenger trips were handled last month, surging 537.9 percent year on year. Of the total air passenger trips last month, passenger transport on domestic routes represented an increase of 3.4 percent from April 2019.

In April this year, the cargo and mail volume of China's civil aviation sector totaled 545,000 tonnes, recovering to 90.6 percent of the figure recorded in the same period of 2019, Li said.