Obama sends wishes for lunar New Year (video)

  

January 23, 2012,5:09 PM (GMT+0700)

U.S. president Barack Obama

US President Barack Obama Thursday offered best wishes to those celebrating the Lunar New Year 2012 (the year of the dragon).

He said:

"Michelle and I want to send our best wishes to everyone celebrating the Lunar New Year, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Growing up in Hawaii, I remember all the excitement surrounding the Lunar New Year -- from the parades and the fireworks to the smaller gatherings with family and friends. It has always been a time for celebration and hope.

08/02 More than 5 million passengers fly during Spring Festival

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's aviation authorities announced on Tuesday that more passengers traveled by air during the Spring Festival holidays, with Chinese airlines handling some 5.07 million passengers during the period.

The number of passengers on flights during the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays, which ended Tuesday, was up 6 percent from the same period last year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

On average, 72 percent of the seats on flights across the country were loaded during the holiday travel season, up 2 percentage points from the same period last year, according to the CAAC.

To prepare for the holiday travel surge, the CAAC arranged 38,992 flights during the holidays, including eight chartered flights to Egypt to fly home 1,796 Chinese travelers stranded amid massive protests in the African country.