Macau’s airport expects to handle one-third more passenger flights daily during October, than it did daily in September, the facility’s operating firm has told GGRAsia.
Macau International Airport Co Ltd, a body also known locally as CAM, anticipates 40 passenger flight movements daily for October, compared to the approximately 30 per day it dealt with in September.
The October estimated was based on requests made so far by airlines. CAM added that the forecast also reflected the fact that since September 23, the Chinese authorities had started accepting tourist visa applications from anywhere on the mainland – including those for Individual Visit Scheme exit visas – enabling tourist trips to Macau.
But CAM stressed that the outlook for October could change depending on any further adjustments in travel policies involving Macau, as well as the final flight arrangements decided by the airlines.
In Monday commentary, Fitch Ratings Inc, said passenger traffic for airlines in several key Asia-Pacific markets could remain “well below 2019 levels” in 2021, despite some signs of recovery. Of the markets in the region, China had seen “rapid” recovery in passenger-flight traffic, and in 2021 the country could see revenue per passenger kilometre, grow to “at least the 2019 level”, if the country did not experience a fresh wave of Covid-19 infections, the credit-rating agency said.
September’s 30-per-day tally of passenger flights handled by Macau International Airport exceeded the operating company’s earlier estimate, it told GGRAsia.
At the start of September, CAM had forecast that the Macau airport would handle only 10 flight movements daily during the month.
For that month as a whole, there was an aggregate of 20 destinations served, in respectively, mainland China, Taiwan, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, according to data provided by CAM.
Flight destinations during September included: the mainland China cities of Xiamen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanning, Beijing, Tianjin, Changzhou, Chengdu, Jinjiang, Qingdao, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Taiyuan and Zhengzhou, That was via services operated respectively by either Macau’s flag carrier, Air Macau, or the mainland’s Xiamen Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. The cities of Jinjiang, Qingdao, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Taiyuan and Zhengzhou were new to the destination roster, compared to August, according to CAM.
The other destinations served during September were: Taipei in Taiwan, via services run respectively by Air Macau, EVA Air and Starlux Airlines; Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, via Air Macau; Incheon in South Korea, via respectively, Air Macau, T’way Air and Jin Air; Phnom Penh in Cambodia, via Cambodia Angkor Air; and Manila in the Philippines via Air Macau.
