China's civil aviation carriers handled 50 million passenger trips in October, close to the level of last year and an indication of an ongoing recovery, the industry regulator said on Friday.

The passenger volume was 88 percent of last October's level, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.

China's civil aviation industry has been recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the latest official statistics showing steady growth in passenger trips and cargo volume.

Air cargo and mail turnover recovered to 621,000 metric tons in October, a decrease of 6.8 percent compared with the same period last year. The volume of cargo and mail handled by all-cargo flights showed steady growth — with 229,000 tons of cargo turnover last month, a 21.8 percent year-on-year increase.

The nationwide flight punctuality rate was 91.7 percent last month, with bad weather the cause of 11,286 flight delays.