Air traffic in China continued to soar in September, according to figures released by two of the country’s largest carriers.

Passengers carried by China Eastern Airlines rose 54 per cent year-on-year to 5.6m, boosted by the World Expo and the merger with Shanghai Airlines. Cargo volume during the month increased 32 per cent to 129,700 tonnes.

Air China flew 3.9m passengers in September, up 20 per cent from a year earlier. Cargo volume climbed 7.8 per cent to 105,700 tonnes.