Airport handled fewer passengers in Q3, a 0.9% drop

[Photo: Renato Marques]

Official figures from Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. (CAM) indicate that the local airport handled about 1.87 million passengers in the third quarter (Q3) of this year.

The figure shows a 0.9% drop compared with the same period in 2025.

According to CAM, elevated fuel prices and reduced flight operations due to operational restrictions related to the airport expansion works caused the decline.

Despite the Q3 decline, passenger traffic rose 4.9% in the first nine months of 2026 (Jan. to Sep.), reaching 5.77 million. This represents about 80% of pre-pandemic passenger traffic.

The same statistics show that aircraft movements fell 6.6% to 13,484 during the three months from July to September. This represents roughly 1,000 fewer airplane movements (takeoffs and landings).

Year over year, aircraft movements in the first nine months of this year fell 0.7% to 42,481.

The decline stemmed from hundreds of flights canceled or rescheduled by Macau’s flag carrier, Air Macau, amid a sharp rise in international oil prices, as the Times previously reported.

In September, Air Macau operated about 50% fewer flights than in the July–August period.

The reduction in flight operations also followed a period of ongoing industry instability and uncertainty linked to the situation in the Middle East, which pushed fuel prices higher.

Looking ahead, pressure will increase this month because overnight flights have been suspended since Oct. 25 due to ongoing airport expansion work. Flights at MIA are suspended daily from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m., and the restrictions are expected to remain in place until the second half of 2029.

The first phase of the expansion work, scheduled for completion by 2030, aims to expand the passenger terminal and runway capacity, increasing the airport’s annual passenger capacity by about 30% to 13 million.