Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines claimed on Monday that it had become the country's first airline capable of handling more than 20 million passenger trips annually.
According to company statistics and computer estimates, China Southern Airlines would be receiving its 20 millionth passenger on Monday, most likely on one of the flights with a departure time between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., a company official said.
The official also claimed that with 119 aircraft and 385 domestic and international air routes in operation, China Southern Airlines now boasted the largest civil aviation air fleet in China and also lead the country in air route coverage.
In 2001, China Southern Airlines handled 19.12 million passenger trips, nearly a quarter of the total passenger volume ofthe country's civil aviation sector, they said.
This year the figure is expected to rise to 21.33 million, nudging China Southern Airlines into the top five airline companies in Asia and also among the world's top 20.
(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2002)
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