CHINA'S domestic air travelers, as well as international passengers in and out of China, will be the biggest boost to airline industry growth over the next four years, according to a report by the International Air Transport Association yesterday.

Of the world's expected 800 million new travelers by 2014, about 181 million new passengers will come from China's domestic air routes, while another 33 million will be passengers flying to or from China on international routes, IATA said.

China's 181 million domestic air passenger growth will lift its domestic passenger throughput to 379 million by 2014, only behind the United States in global aviation traveler volume ranking, IATA said.

Global air travelers will top 3.3 billion by 2014, up by 800 million from the 2.5 billion in 2009, while world air cargo will rise to 38 million tons from 26 million tons in 2009, according to IATA's forecast.