Transportation | Local airport continues to grow

From January  untill  mid-June of 2016, the number of passengers and of aircraft movements handled by the Macau International Airport (MIA) increased by 16 percent and 6 percent, respectively, when compared to the same period last year, according to a statement by MIA.
Air passenger traffic in mainland China, Taiwan, and Southeast and Northeast Asia expanded by over 3 percent, 25 percent and 22 percent respectively, against the same period last year.
These increases indicate that MIA maintained steady growth. Until mid-June of the current year, MIA recorded around 830,000 passengers using Macau-Taiwan aviation services. This figure represents a jump of 25 percent when compared against the same period of the previous year. On average, the load factor is 75 percent. The main source of passengers is Taiwan residents who account for 55 percent of the total. In turn, residents in mainland China account for 30 percent, while Macau residents comprise most of the remaining 15 percent.
Thailand remains a popular tourist destination. As of mid-June, the number of passengers flying to Thailand increased 28 percent over the same period. The source of passengers is mainly mainland China, accounting for 60 percent, followed by Macau and Thailand residents.
Recently, TransAsia Airways and Thai Smile made a formal announcement to indicate that they will suspend their entire Taiwan-Macau services, effective from the end of October.
MIA states that the withdrawal is expected to be temporary and not have any significant impact on passengers.
The airport adds that some China Taiwan-Macau operators have planned to increase their flow of passengers along the Macau-Taiwan route in the fourth quarter of 2016 in order to meet market and passengers’ demands. The current frequency of flights between Macau and Bangkok should be able to satisfy the needs of passengers, according to claims from the airport’s spokespeople. Staff reporter