Macau (MNA) – Air Macau’s concession agreement that is set to expire after November 2020 will not be renewed, according to a report by Portuguese newspaper Hoje Macau.
Macau News Agency (MNA) has spoken with a representative of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau (AACM) who has confirmed the information, later clarifying in a statement that the information was known by Air Macau in October 2018.
In a release on the AACM website which was uploaded after the article was written, AACM confirms that the authority had done a study with external consultants to conduct a study on the aviation market.
While the contents of the study was not made public, the South China Morning Post reported that the diversification of the aviation market was likely to be part of the recommendations made by these consultants.
AACM notes that the planning of the air transport industry in Macau is a major economic policy of the SAR Government.
Around 40 per cent of passengers using the Macau International Airport (MIA) took Air Macau flights, according to airport managing company Macau International Airport Co. Ltd (CAM) on Tuesday.
The 25-year agreement had ensured that Air Macau had exclusive franchise rights as the sole local company allowed to operate in the airport.
Air Macau had previously sub-licensed its concession rights to the now defunct Viva Macau, which operated from 2006 to 2010.
Air Macau is controlled primarily by Air China and is also a partner of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, the flag carrier of Hong Kong.
Last week, Simon Chan, the head of AACM, had told media that the Airport Master Plan will be resubmitted to the Beijing Central Government and that there were plans to expand general and business aviation offerings.
MIA has also announced in a release that long-haul passenger flight routes will be made a priority in order to diversify the type of passengers who use the airport.
[updated to add information to paragraph 2,3, 4, 5, 7 with content from Air Macau’s official statement, including what the concession agreement covers the rights to a franchise, i.e. Air Macau is the only Macau-based airline allowed to operate]
