SHANGHAI - China Eastern Airlines Co Ltd, one of the country's three largest State-owned airlines, was projected to have carried 121.1 million passengers in 2018, an annual increase of 9.3 percent.

The passenger load factor reached 82.26 percent last year, 1.2 percentage points higher than a year ago, the Shanghai-based airlines said in its unaudited preliminary operating data filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange late Tuesday.

In December, China Eastern carried 10 million passengers, up 8.6 percent year-on-year, it said.

Last month, the airlines launched services to international destinations including London, Madrid and Kalibo.

China Eastern transported 915,470 tons of cargo and mail last year, up 2.4 percent year-on-year, it said.

By the end of 2018, the airlines had a fleet of 680 aircraft.

Shares of China Eastern once fell 1.19 percent in the morning session before recovering some of the losses to close 0.4 percent lower at 5.02 yuan Wednesday in Shanghai.