BEIJING - Some 6.13 million passenger trips were made by air between China and the United States in 2014, the Civil Aviation Administration of China disclosed on Wednesday.

The agency expects that number to expand by around 15 percent annually in the coming years on the back of increasing flights between the two countries.

Air traffic is booming amid deepening trade and business connections between China and the United States, as well as the great popularity of the United States as a tourist destination.

According to the US Department of Commerce, the number of Chinese tourists visiting the United States by 2019 will reach 3.1 million, up from 2.3 million in 2014.