BEIJING - China is estimated to witness over 344 million inter-regional passenger trips on Friday, the first day of this year's May Day holiday.

The figure represents a 3.4 percent increase from the same period last year, the Ministry of Transport said on Friday.

Road trips are expected to reach 315.24 million, marking a 3.2 percent increase from the same period last year.

Railways are forecast to handle 24.8 million passenger trips, up 7.3 percent year-on-year, and waterways are expected to see 1.73 million trips, marking a 4.9 percent increase.

However, air travel is estimated to record 2.33 million trips, down 0.7 percent from the same period last year.

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Inbound and outbound passenger flows are also expected to average 2.25 million daily and peak at more than 2.4 million in a single day, according to the National Immigration Administration forecast on Tuesday, as the May Day holiday beginning on May 1 ranks among the busiest travel periods of the year.