HALF-YEAR PROFITS RISE FOR CHINESE CARRIERS

Chinese airlines have reported an aggregate net income of CNY12.78 billion ($1.98 billion) for the first half of 2011, representing a 26% over a net profit of CNY10.14 billion reported in the year-ago period. Passenger numbers also increased by 9.8% to 139 million – domestic routes were up 10% and international boardings increased 8.2%. Average load factor improved 2.5 points to 81.3%. Cargo traffic dropped 0.4% however to 2.66 million tonnes.