BEIJING -- China's civil aviation sector handled 420 million passenger trips in 2020, which accounted for 63.3 percent of that in 2019, indicating recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic fallout, according to the country's civil aviation regulator.

The recovery picked up in the fourth quarter as air passengers in the last three months of 2020 stood at 84.2 percent of that in the same period in 2019, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Tuesday, adding that it plans to increase the annual ratio to about 90 percent in 2021 amid the fight against COVID-19.

China's civil aviation sector remained the world's second-largest in terms of passenger trips for the 15th consecutive year, the CAAC added.

The transport of cargo and mail hit 6.77 million tonnes in 2020, or 89.8 percent of that in 2019.