Hong Kong (CNN Business) China's automotive and aviation industries suffered historic drops in activity in February as the government locked down cities and restricted travel to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Car sales in China collapsed 79% compared to a year ago, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Thursday. It was the biggest ever monthly decline, according to Reuters . Only 310,000 vehicles were sold.

Sales of new energy vehicles, which include electric or plug-in hybrid cars, plummeted 75% to 12,908, even though the government has been pushing hard for the adoption of such cars.

The country's aviation regulator also released dire figures, saying that the industry recorded its worst financial performance ever in February. Passenger traffic plummeted 85% from a year earlier to 8.3 million people, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Cargo traffic decreased 21%.

Flights are still struggling. Only 40% of domestic flights had resumed by Sunday, according to the regulator.

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