Pansy Ho could launch Macau budget airline

Pansy Ho

Air Macau’s franchise will be renewed in 2020 and the government is set to consider whether to keep the airline as the sole home airline in the city. More room for a second home airline to enter the city’s aviation market may be created when the Civil Aviation Authority receives an interim report from consultants on the future development of the industry later this month.

An aviation policy expert from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dr Law Cheung-Kwok, noted to South China Morning Post that there is a common trend in the aviation industry to liberalize the sector.

“As Air Macau is mainly controlled by Air China and is also a partner of Cathay Pacific, the fact there is only one airline that has a dominant market position in Hong Kong and Macau suggests there should be a more liberalized regime for the operation of new airlines in Macau,” Law said.

Law added that he would advocate for the liberalization of the number of airlines and other supporting services in aviation operations in Macau.

Macau’s civil aviation authority stated that it would study the “pros and cons” of the final report once it is submitted at the end of the year.

According to the Hong Kong newspaper, the timing of these events could lead to a new proposal from businesswoman, Pansy Ho, to launch a budget airline for the city. Ho is the chairwoman of Shun Tak Holdings and daughter of gaming tycoon Stanley Ho.

Ho attempted to launch a Macau budget airline in 2004 and another airline, Jetstar Hong Kong, in 2015, but both attempts failed.

“I think it might be have been the wrong timing and I believe there might still be opportunities,” Ho said to The Australian newspaper last month when asked about the possibility of relaunching Jetstar Hong Kong.

“I believe there will be opportunities about, simply because the whole region we are operating out of is also evolving,” she added.