Chinese tourists pose for a photo before heading to Thailand at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on Feb 6, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

More international flights are expected to resume operation, an official from the Civil Aviation Administration of China was quoted by The Paper as saying on Thursday.

China resumed regular passenger flights with 58 countries and regions from Feb 6 to 12 with 98 domestic and international airlines operating 795 flights, up 65 percent compared to the period between Jan 2 and 8, said Shang Kejia, deputy director of the administration's transport department.

The country downgraded its COVID-19 pandemic control management from Class A to B on Jan 8, and applications for resuming and adding flights by domestic and international airlines started to be accepted the same day.

China added 226 flights with six Asia-Pacific countries including Thailand, Cambodia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, accounting for 70 percent of added flights.

Over 20 percent of flights between China and 27 countries including the United Arab Emirates, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan have resumed, and the resumption rate for six countries including Egypt, Belgium and Saudi Arabia was more than half.

With more business trips, tourism and the recovery of international education, the flight capacity adjustment of airlines, especially foreign airlines, will gradually take place and the number of international flights is expected to further increase.

CAAC will maintain communication with civil aviation authorities of different countries, promptly approve flight resumption and increase applications from domestic and international airlines to meet the demands of international travel and economic and trade exchanges, Shang said.