BEIJING - China's civil aviation sector saw a rise in passenger trips and cargo transportation in the first half of this year, official data showed on Friday.

Passenger trips rose by 10.8 percent year on year to 230 million in the first six months while cargo transportation reached over 3 million tonnes, up 4 percent year on year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Chinese airlines opened 60 new international routes in H1, leading to rapid growth in international business, while most of the total 151 new routes targeted markets in the central and western regions of China, which have outperformed the east in passenger trips growth.

China is the second most significant country in the world in terms of total volume of passengers and cargo carried by air transportation, behind the United States.