Macau International Airport has seen a surge in passenger traffic and will also soon offer more direct links to regional destinations as more carriers launch flights to "China's Las Vegas".
The airport, which commenced operation in 1995, registered an 8.5 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic between January and April this year, with a rising number of arrivals from Southeast Asia in addition to the usual high-volume Mainland China traffic.
The airport serves many low-cost carriers. Thai AirAsia, a joint venture between AirAsia and Asia Aviation in Thailand, will launch a direct flight between Chiang Mai and Macau later this month; Thai Smile Air, Thai Airways' "light premium" sub-brand, will see its maiden flight heading to Macau in July (see story here) while Air Busan will also touch down in the city in the same month to mark its new service.
At present, more than 20 airlines use Macau Airport, serving China and other regional destinations. The airport is striving to expand its connectivity to reach high-growth markets, particularly India due to a high number of Indian visitors, who mostly reach Macau by ferry from Hong Kong. According to a census by the Macau government, almost 29,230 Indian travellers visited Macau between January and March this year, up from 27,357 last year, reflecting the need for direct air links.
Macau Airport is one of the six civilian airports in the Pearl River Delta region, each at a varied degree of development and with plans for expansion. For more about the future of air connectivity in this region, read our feature here, which was published in the Business Traveller Asia-Pacific March 2012 issue.
For more information, visit www.macau-airport.com
Alisha Haridasani
