CHINA'S aviation industry earned 11.8 billion yuan (US$1.72 billion) in profit in the first 11 months of this year, bolstered by record flights and passengers.

It's a big improvement for airlines after the industry reported a record 28 billion yuan loss last year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Domestic carriers flew 211.48 million passengers through November, a rise of 19.6 percent from a year earlier, breaking the 200 million barrier for the first time, the aviation regulator said on its Website.

Cargo volume rose 5.7 percent on a yearly basis to 3.98 million tons in the 11 months. International cargo volume gained 0.2 percent in the first 11 months, compared with a 3.7 percent decrease through October, according to the administration.

The administration attributed the faster growth to the low base a year earlier, the recovering global economy, China's accelerated industrial output and growing exports.