The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, says the agency may continue to co-operate with Air Macau to focus on expanding international routes in 2025, perhaps by continuing to offer air ticket discounts to international travellers.
At the beginning of this year, the government invested MOP$235 million to develop international visitor sources, including a co-operation with Air Macau to launch various air ticket promotions such fare reductions and Buy One, Get One Free offers. According to a report by Radio Macau, Fernandes provided an update to the plan in a media interview on Sunday where she said the estimated cost of its Air Macau cooperation in 2024 is around MOP$100 million.
Fernandes continued. “The MGTO plans to continue its co-operation with Air Macau next year, but there is no new proposal yet.
“It will take some time for the authorities to finalize the co-operation plans, but they should all be related to airfare concessions.”
Despite the rapid recovery of Macau’s tourism industry after the pandemic – which has seen the number of passengers and aircraft movements at Macau International Airport back to 80% and 78% of 2019 levels respectively – Air Macau’s business situation is worrying.
At the recent Legislative Assembly subcommittee meeting, Air Macau once again proposed to the government an increase to its capital program, which would require an increase of about MOP$340 million due to the airline continuing to suffer financial hardship.
Air Macau also stated earlier this year that it planned to resume direct flights from Macau to Fukuoka, Japan, but Fernandes said the MGTO had not yet received any update on this resumption.
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