China Southern Airlines Co. Ltd. and rival China Eastern Airlines Corp. have both posted air traffic growth in October despite surging oil prices in the global market, Shenzhen Daily reported Friday.

Shanghai-based Eastern Airlines announced Wednesday its passenger number rose 1.8 percent year on year in October to 1.65 million, after falling 7.9 percent in September.

The rebound in passenger numbers in the month was led by a surge in international passengers, the company said.

Also on Wednesday, Guangzhou-based Southern Airlines posted an even bigger growth, saying its passenger number jumped 11.4 percent to 2.67 million in October over the same period last year.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2004)