China's airlines carried 2.76 million passengers during the first week of October, the National Day holiday, up 2 percent from the same period last year, China's General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) said on Sunday.

Chinese airlines operated 28,807 flights during the holiday, up 9 percent from the National Day last year, CAAC figures show.

Many people chose to travel before the holiday began, said the CAAC.

According to the CAAC's monitoring of 52 major cities, average daily air passenger volume reached 450,000 from Sept. 25.

The height came on Sept. 30, one day before the holiday began, as the volume soared to a record of 500,000.

New cities emerged on the holiday destination map with rising numbers of inbound air travelers such as the northeastern Changchun and Shenyang cities, Yinchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Urumqi, in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Tianjin and central China's Wuhan city.

During the seven-day holiday, the average daily passenger volume was 394,000, lower than the 445,000 in July and August, CAAC figures show.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2006)