Domestic passenger traffic at Qingdao Liuting International Airport has returned to more than 70 percent while the airport's cargo volume has been rising steadily, according to the Qingdao Airport Group.

As the country's economic recovery continues to gather momentum, domestic airlines have reopened routes and aviation transportation has been restored.

"In terms of ticket sales, the passenger load for flights between Qingdao and Lanzhou, Urumqi, Changsha and Ningbo has been steadily increasing," said Sui Xin, a member staff from the Qingdao Airport Group.

Workers load medical materials onto a cargo plane at the Qingdao Liuting International Airport. [Photo by Zhou Jianliang/dailyqd.com]

Sui said that aviation sector activities expanded in June as the economy continued to recover from the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that travel demand has increased significantly compared with the previous three or four months.

Since May 3 this year, with the arrival of the 2020 summer and autumn flight season, Qingdao Airport Group has increased and optimized key routes.

According to Sui, the Qingdao airport has added routes to Yibin, Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Jinggangshan and Guiyang, and reopened routes to Wenzhou, Harbin and Hailar. At present, the number of flights and passenger volume of the airport has reached 70 to 80 percent of the same period last year.

Amid the epidemic, the Qingdao Airport Group has transformed passenger planes into freighter planes in a bid to ease supply shortages, boost freight transportation capacity, provide strong support for international logistics and help airlines stem financial losses.