International air traffic now 80% pre-pandemic levels

Passenger traffic at Macau International Airport (MIA) in the first 10 months of the year reached 6.34 million passengers, an increase of 56.92% over the same period last year, the Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. (CAM) unveiled in a statistic report.

According to the report, aircraft movements rose substantially, reaching over 49,000 – a 49.37% jump.

Compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic, passenger volume and aircraft movements have recovered to around 80% and 78%, respectively.

During the January-September this year, international visitors with foreign passports made up 15% of arriving passengers, 1.1 times last year’s total. This indicates the MIA is steadily rebuilding traffic after Covid-19 disruptions and moving closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Most flight routes suspended during the health crisis have now reopened, with some carriers upsizing aircraft on routes with strong demand.

An expansion project will boost capacity to accommodate growth by attracting new airlines and destinations.

Additionally, some airlines are modifying winter schedules in response to market needs.

Air Macau will debut a new route to Taichung, Taiwan, this month and increase Bangkok flights in December.

Flights to Chongqing and Guiyang will rise to five weekly, while Nanning services will expand to four per week.

West Air plans to inaugurate a Lhasa-Chongqing-Macau route with Jeju Air resuming flights from South Korea. Other carriers are also tweaking schedules based on local demand.

Beyond expanding direct services, MIA is actively cultivating transfer business.

Partnerships allow one-ticket-through-baggage flights to Canada, France, the US, Europe, Australia, Egypt, India, and Sri Lanka via connections of two to six hours, aiming to integrate Macau’s regional network with long-haul international routes.

Collaboration with land transport providers is developing air-rail-bus options from Greater Bay Area hubs like Guangzhou, Jiangmen, and Dongguan.

Passengers can buy bus tickets to border points and easily transfer to MIA, providing convenient mainland access.

Looking to 2025 and its 30th anniversary, MIA will intensify overseas promotional efforts aligned with Macau’s tourism master plan.

In the same statement, MIA also said to aim to further tourism growth by attracting airlines and servicing more international visitors, supporting Macau’s diversification goals. Victoria Chan