Macau’s air-travel hub handled 1.83 million passenger trips in the first quarter, up 2.2-percent year-on-year, according to an update from its operator.
Macau International Airport Co Ltd (CAM) said passenger throughput and cargo volume for the first three months had not been “as good as expected”, amid a backdrop of “global economic instability”. The company also cited “rising operational costs” as a factor.
It stated regarding the airport: “Rising operational costs for airlines have further constrained its capacity, leading to noticeable changes in market structure and having a significant impact on the passenger and cargo operations.”
The company added: “It is expected that the passenger and cargo volume in 2025 will not align with the forecast target at the beginning of the year.”
In mid-February the company estimated this year’s passenger throughput would reach 8.5 million, i.e., 11.3-percent higher than the 7.64 million recorded for 2024.
For the three months to March 31, flight routes serving mainland China accounted for 46 percent the quarter’s total passenger volume. Routes serving Southeast and Northeast Asia accounted for another 36 percent, stated the airport company.
Separate data from Macau’s Statistics and Census Service give a snapshot of the number of passenger arrivals to the city’s airport in the first quarter, and the structure of that market.
There were 742,510 such arrivals, a 0.8-percent gain year-on-year. Of those, around 66.4 percent – or 492,914 – were recorded as from mainland China, a figure down 4.7 percent year-on-year.
Among the travellers from the mainland, 47.2 percent or 232,694, came into Macau using China’s Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) exit visa system. Such IVS air travellers were down 8.6 percent year-on-year, the statistics bureau’s data show.
Macau’s overall visitor arrivals in the January to March period totalled 9.86 million, up 11.1 percent from a year ago.
