BEIJING, July 12 -- China's aviation sector registered nearly 350 million passenger trips in the first half of this year, representing a surge of 23.5 percent year on year, latest data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) showed Friday.

Out of the total, domestic routes registered 320 million passenger trips, up 16.4 percent year on year; international routes recorded more than 29.67 million trips, jumping 254.4 percent year on year, the data showed.

The civil aviation market's freight transport volume surpassed 4.17 million tonnes in the same period, up 27.4 percent year on year. Freight transport on domestic routes and international routes rose 23.2 percent and 34.3 percent year on year, respectively, the data showed.

Earlier this month, China's immigration authority announced a surge in trips made by foreign travelers in the first half of the year, following measures introduced since January. The measures, designed to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into China for business, education and tourism, include expanded visa-free policies, relaxed visa application requirements and simplified procedures.

Xu Qing, deputy head of the transport department of CAAC, predicted that the domestic passenger transport will continue to grow in the second half of the year and international passenger transport will further recover.

"We expect the main indicators of the civil aviation transportation market to reach new highs this year," Xu said at a press conference.