(Xinhua) China plans to buy 218 aircraft this year to meet the increasing demand, a senior official said on Sunday.

The new orders will include jumbo jets and regional aircraft, said Li Jiaxiang, director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

China would expect 700 million passenger trips a year by 2020, and the number is likely to double by 2030, he said.

Last year China's passenger transportation hit 230 million trips, and cargo freight volume reached 4.46 million tonnes.

This year the two figures are estimated to grow by 12 percent, Li said.

Cargo freight volume nearly doubled in the first two months this year, which got back to the level before the global financial crisis, he noted.

As a part of the nation's 4-trillion yuan (585.7 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus package, China built and upgraded 22 airports in 2009.

Li said 90 billion yuan will be invested in 25 airport expansion projects this year.