China's aviation industry recorded a total loss of 28 billion yuan in 2008, the biggest in 30 years, an industry watchdog said.

Yang Guoqing, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), blamed the whopping loss on the snowstorms in South China, the Sichuan earthquake and the global economic crisis, which disrupted or cut demand for flights.

Passenger traffic in China grew by merely 3.3 percent in 2008, Yang was quoted by Chinanews.com.cn as saying at the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Domestic carriers made a profit of about 40 million yuan in January, but prospects are not optimistic as the financial crisis has yet to bottom out, Yang said.