Chongqing airport sees record cargo, mail traffic

THE international cargo and mail throughput of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality totaled 220,000 tons in 2021, up nearly 50 percent year on year, the airport said yesterday.

This marks the first time that the figure has passed the 200,000-ton milestone, maintaining the airport’s top place in the western region in terms of international cargo and mail throughput. The airport handled nearly 35.8 million passenger trips and more than 477,000 tons of cargo in 2021, up 2.4 percent and 15.9 percent year on year, respectively.

Xinjiang’s power transmission hits new high

NORTHWESTERN China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region transmitted a record 122 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of locally generated electricity to other parts of the country in 2021, up more than 16 percent year on year, according to State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co.

The region has supplied electricity to 20 provincial-level regions across China through the power transmission project, which was launched in 2010.

VW misses its China EV sales goal

VOLKSWAGEN AG (VW) sold 70,625 of its ID electric vehicles (EVs) in China last year, missing its goal of selling 80,000 to 100,000 cars, the company said yesterday.

“It was a pretty difficult year for us as a group.” the German automaker’s China chief Stephan Wollenstein said. Supply chain constraints, including a global chip shortage, impacted production and were factors that contributed to Volkswagen failing to reach its ID sales goal, Wollenstein added. The ID series, which Volkswagen produces at its Chinese joint ventures with SAIC Motor and FAW Group, is the backbone of VW’s EV ambitions.

Aviation sector aims for profitability this year

CHINA’S aviation sector will aim to turn losses into profits this year with an expected recovery to 85 percent of its pre-COVID volume of domestic passenger trips, the aviation regulator said Monday.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), in a work meeting for 2022, said air passenger trips would likely exceed 570 million this year, compared with about 660 million in 2019 before COVID-19. “Barring repeated fluctuations in COVID-19, we will strive to reverse losses and achieve profitability this year,” the CAAC said in a statement.