China's civil aviation regulator has given the green light for eight airlines to add a combined 8,400 flights around the Spring Festival, China's lunar New Year, in an effort to relieve expected huge passenger flow.

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) predicted that the Chinese would make more than 2 billion trips during that Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 29 this year, andflights will be increased from Jan. 14 to Feb. 22.

A CAAC official said on Tuesday as the number of flights will be increased by more than 10 percent from a year earlier, the travelers' demand can be fully met.

The eight airlines involved are Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, and Shandong Airlines.

More flights would be arranged in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as other major cities of Chongqing, Chengdu, Haikou, Sanya, Harbin, Wenzhou, Xi'an, Hefei and Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, the CAAC official said proper support would be given for air carriers to add flights in western and undeveloped regions.

Air ticket supplies are enough for this year's red-letter day, while air-ticket price would go up tangibly, Wang Yili, a manager of China's air-ticket online booking network Yoee (www.yoee.com), said.

The airlines will publicize their air-ticket price policies forthe Spring Festival period beginning this week, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2006)