Aviation industry’s chief task is to restore pre-pandemic volume: Pun Wa Kin
The most important task and challenge that the local aviation industry faces is to be able to restore, as soon as possible, flight volumes to the levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, the new president of the Civil Aviation Authority (AACM), Pun Wa Kin, told the media on the sidelines of his swearing-in ceremony yesterday.
The newly-inaugurated president of AACM noted that, compared to the pre-pandemic era, Macau has few international connections operating and that during the pandemic and for a long period, only flights to Singapore were operational, a fact that caused a major disruption of the systems and structures into place, namely those that support the airlines.
According to Pun, the industry has so far recovered some 50% of its capacity but this is a process that is happening gradually and not suddenly, emphasizing that “it will take some time until the aviation industry can recover completely.”
Questioned by the media as to applications by airlines to explore new routes, Pun said that for the time being, no applications are being filled for such a purpose, adding that all the new flights currently being added are related to routes previously approved or operating and that have been temporarily suspended.
Still, he is confident that, after the resumption of old routes is complete, new routes should come in due course.
Pun also said that one of the tasks that the industry will have in the upcoming times is to be able to establish greater cooperation with the neighboring regions and cities, namely within the Greater Bay Area so that Macau can fulfill the duty of the government policies that aim to attract more overseas tourists.
Commenting on the expectation for this year, Pun said that while the figures show already an increase in the number of passengers carried in the first quarter of this year, it is likely that these numbers will continue to increase especially during the second half of this year.
Pun’s swearing-in ceremony was held yesterday at the AACM office in NAPE in the presence of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário.
In his speech after the inauguration, Pun expressed gratitude for the trust and support and pledged to continue upholding the principles of “Integrity, Responsibility, Professionalism and Teamwork” to ensure the development and the safety of Macau’s aviation industry.
He also said that he hopes that the Macau International Airport can continue to improve its infrastructure, optimize the travel environment and provide more diversified aviation products for Macau and the neighboring regions.
Pun graduated from the University of Kansas in the US with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He later received a Master’s degree in Public Administration jointly awarded by Peking University and the National School of Administration.
He joined AACM in 1998 and held, since then, several posts, the most relevant being acting director of Flight Standards and Licensing (2006) and vice president since June 2019.
