China's civil aviation sector posted strong growth in October, driven by a surge in international passenger travel and robust cargo demand, official data showed on Tuesday.
Total air transport turnover reached 14.6 billion ton-kilometers in October, with international passenger and cargo volumes both expanding by more than 20 percent year-on-year.
Domestic airlines transported over 60.8 million passengers in October, up 4.4 percent, while international routes handled 6.99 million, a rise of 20.4 percent.
Cargo and mail throughput hit a monthly record of over 900,000 tons, including 518,000 tons on domestic routes, up 8.1 percent, and 399,000 tons on international services, surging 21 percent.
From January to October, China's civil aviation sector handled 136.63 billion ton-kilometers of transport, up 10.3 percent year-on-year.
Passenger traffic grew 5.3 percent, fueled by a 23.2 percent jump in international passenger flows.
During the 10-month period, cargo and mail volumes rose 13.9 percent from the same period last year.
China's aviation industry logs strong October growth
The price of aluminum, a key industrial metal used in automotive manufacturing, construction and packaging, has been climbing as production cuts in the Gulf region, logistical constraints and Iranian attacks on two regional producers over the weekend tightened supply.
On March 31, the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month price for aluminum rose to 3,535 U.S. dollars per metric ton, a year-on-year increase of around 40 percent.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that they launched missile and drone strikes on aluminum plants in Bahrain and the UAE that are linked to the U.S. military and aerospace industries, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iranian steel factories.
Emirates Global Aluminium issued a statement saying that its Al Taweela site in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi was severely damaged after Iranian strikes, with some employees injured.
Aluminum Bahrain confirmed in a statement on Sunday that some of its facilities were struck by Iranian attacks, resulting in injuries to two employees.
The two aluminum plants have a combined annual output of 3.2 million tons, more than half of the approximately 6 million tons of aluminum produced every year by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.
The region is a key source of aluminum supply, accounting for about 9 percent of global production.
Goldman Sachs on Tuesday raised its LME aluminum price forecast from 3,200 U.S. dollars to 3,450 U.S. dollars per ton for the second quarter of 2026 after the attacks on the facilities.
Goldman Sachs also predicted a global primary aluminum market supply deficit of 570,000 tons in 2026, a sharp turnaround from its previous forecast of a 550,000-ton surplus.
Analysts point out that the aluminum market is currently facing multiple shocks, with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, aluminum production facilities in the Gulf damaged or even shut down, and production in other parts of the world currently limited.
The impact will also spread to downstream enterprises in the coming months, with higher-cost aluminum alloys, primarily used in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries, facing the most constrained supply, analysts said.
The Gulf region has long been a significant source of these high-end products, particularly for the European market, and also supplies manufacturers in the United States.
Aluminum prices climb as effects of Middle East tensions spread through global economy
