Macau returnees may find few flights via Taiwan

It may not be easy for returnees to Macau to find flights back home via Taiwan, despite Taiwan’s reopening to international transit.

Although the local aviation authority’s website showed 39 weekly flights between Taipei and Macau in June, the actual situation varies significantly.

For example, yesterday, three flights from Taipei to Macau were registered. However, only a flight operated by Starlux Airlines actually flew to Macau and landed at 2:20 pm, according to the website of the Macau International Airport.

After stopping over in Macau for two and a half hours, the aircraft departed the city at 4:50 pm the same day.

Three other flights that were registered to depart Macau for Taipei, operated by Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan, Taiwan’s low-cost carrier, were cancelled.

Local flag carrier airline Air Macau did not run any flights between the two jurisdictions yesterday.

For the time being, it is unclear whether the reopening of transit services in Taiwan will help boost flight frequency between Macau and Taipei, considering many Macau students who are studying in the Americas may seek to take this route to return home during the summer holidays.

Authorities in Taiwan have given the green light to international transit passengers. The service will resume today. Prior to this, the service was halted for more than a year (since May 2021).

As it reopens to international transit, Taiwan will also shorten quarantine-upon-arrival requirements to three days from today.  AL