Macau’s airport expects 8.14mln passenger trips in 2026 helped by new routes, better frequency: operator

 AB26~

Macau Airport seeks new routes despite fuel price pressure

By LUSA

Macau International Airport intends to expand its destination network this summer, despite the “challenge of high fuel prices”, the airport infrastructure operator has indicated.

“Faced with the challenge of high fuel prices, Macau International Airport [MIA] maintains close communication with airlines to move forward with plans to launch routes to Mainland China and Northeast Asia in June and July this year, thereby further strengthening the national and international route network,” reads a statement released on Wednesday by CAM – Macau International Airport Company Limited.

Despite the stated intention to expand, Air Macau, the territory’s flag carrier, has been cancelling flights and suspending routes, according to a report released this week by the local public broadcaster.

The territory’s flag carrier has not provided reasons for the cancellations, justifying them only on “commercial grounds”, according to “passenger reports” informed by Teledifusão de Macau (TDM). The broadcaster noted posts on social media where messages sent by Air Macau to passengers have been published.

According to these reports, passengers were informed of the cancellations and “advised to contact the carrier for assistance,” TDM further reported. TDM simulated a booking for a flight to Jakarta, but connections to the Indonesian capital are currently “suspended without further notice”.

Lusa, which encountered the same issue when attempting to book a flight to the same destination, questioned Air Macau regarding these cancellations but has so far received no response.

A search of the Macau airport website at approximately 12:00 local time (05:00 in Lisbon) revealed that 13 connections had already been cancelled for today—to various destinations in Mainland China as well as Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. Of these, six flights were operated by Air Macau, two by AirAsia, two by Shenzhen Airlines, two by China Eastern, and one by Xiamen Air.

According to data released today by CAM, Macau airport recorded 2.1 million passenger movements between January and March 2026, representing a 15% increase compared to the same period last year. The number of aircraft movements reached 15,952—a 10% increase year-on-year—”reflecting a solid performance” by the airport infrastructure, the statement added.

In terms of market share, CAM noted that passengers from Mainland China accounted for 41% of the total, those from Taiwan corresponded to 19%, and those from Southeast and Northeast Asia combined made up 40%. Regarding international passengers, movements reached 224,000 customers in the first two months of the year, an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

During the Easter holidays and the Ching Ming Festival, between 3rd and 7th April, the airport recorded 115,000 passengers and 856 aircraft movements, representing increases of 2.6% and 9.1% respectively, the statement noted. For the summer, the airport says it is “optimising operations and negotiating incentive programmes, resource coordination, and new routes with airlines.”

In March, the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the world’s leading airline association, stated that an increase in airfares is inevitable given the rise in hydrocarbon prices due to the war in Iran.

“One does not need to be a genius to deduce that the additional costs airlines will face, if the situation persists, will be far greater than what they can absorb,” noted Willie Walsh on 20th March, during a conference organised by the Association of Professional Aviation and Space Journalists (AJPAE).

IATA brings together 360 carriers representing 85% of global traffic. Consequently, Walsh assured that “it is inevitable that ticket prices will rise,” an increase already felt in some markets, particularly in the United States.

On Tuesday, the airline AirAsia X, a subsidiary of AirAsia, announced fuel surcharges that will lead to an increase in ticket prices, as well as a restructuring of routes, due to the energy crisis resulting from the war in Iran. The Malaysia-based airline joins other groups in the air transport sector that have recently decided to increase fares in the face of energy insecurity generated by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, in the context of the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran.

In China, airlines such as Xiamen Airlines, China United Airlines, Spring Airlines, and China Southern Airlines have applied fuel surcharges, while in Japan, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) are expected to double them on international flights in June and July. According to IATA, fuel accounts for up to 30% of airlines’ operating costs; therefore, significant fluctuations in international oil prices affect them substantially.

https://macaubusiness.com/macau-airport-seeks-new-routes-despite-fuel-price-pressure/

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Macau International Airport is poised to see 8.14 million passenger trips in 2026, amid launch of new routes and better frequency for some current services.

The hub’s operator Macau International Airport Co Ltd (CAM) said in a Wednesday press release following a new-year reception for local media: “Passenger volume in 2026 could reach 8.14 million, with a total of 63,000 flight movements expected, cargo volume reaching 110,000 tonnes and 1,200 business aviation movements.”

It further stated that within this year “more… airlines will join” the Macau market, with CAM noting also there would be “a number of airlines adding flight frequencies to existing destinations”.

Based on GGRAsia’s review of CAM data, the 2026 passenger-volume forecast would, if realised, be an 8.2-percent increase on 2025’s figure of 7.52 million. The 2025 Macau airport passenger throughput actually represented a 1.6-percent decline from 2024.

In 2019 – the trading year before the Covid-19 pandemic – Macau’s airport handled a record 9.61 million passenger trips, per CAM figures.

New routes for 2026 include to the holiday island of Jeju, in South Korea, by that country’s budget carrier T’way Air, starting from January 25. That is according to Simon Chan, chairman of CAM’s executive committee, as cited by Chinese-language newspaper Macao Daily News.

Eric Fong, the airport operator’s marketing department director, said – as cited by local media – that the city would be connected to another holiday-island destination, Vietnam’s Phu Quoc, starting from March 3.

The air hub’s marketing boss also mentioned that in March, Chinese-mainland budget carrier West Air is looking to launch flights between Macau and the city of Chongqing in Sichuan province. Legacy carrier Air Macau already runs a Macau-Chongqing route, according to Macau airport’s website.

Macau’s airport is also likely during the year to have more flights serving Manila, the Philippine capital, according to media reports of CAM’s Wednesday event.

Low-cost carrier Thai Vietjet Air started on January 23 daily flights between Macau and Bangkok, said airport boss Mr Chan. The popular destination has also been served by Air Macau, Thai Lion Air, and AirAsia.

Additionally on January 23, Chinese-mainland carrier Juneyao Air began offering two flights per week to Shanghai. Mr Chan said the carrier might up its service to a daily one from February 27.

Shanghai is another popular regional route in and out of Macau, and has been served by Spring Airlines, Air Macau and China Eastern Airlines, as well as the latter’s subsidiary, Shanghai Airlines.

https://www.ggrasia.com/macaus-airport-expects-8-14-mln-passenger-trips-in-2026-helped-by-new-routes-better-frequency-operator?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=macaus-airport-expects-8-14-mln-passenger-trips-in-2026-helped-by-new-routes-better-frequency-operator