Macau International Airport

Macau International Airport (IATA: MFM, ICAO: VMMC) (Portuguese: Aeroporto Internacional de Macau) is an international airport in the special administrative region of Macau, situated at the eastern end of Taipa island and neighbouring waters which opened for commercial operations on 9 November 1995, during Portuguese administration of the region.

Since then the airport has been a common transfer point for people traveling between the Mainland and Taiwan, as well as a passenger hub for destinations in mainland China and Southeast Asia. During 2006, the airport handled 5 million passengers and 220,000 tonnes of cargo.[6] In 2017 the number of passengers had increased to 7,165,803 which is more than the 6 million passengers per year the terminal was designed for.

Facilities

Terminal

The airport’s designed capacity is 6,000,000 passengers per year, with processing capacity of up to 2,000 passengers per hour.[citation needed] The airport does not have a night curfew. There are 24 parking spaces for aircraft in the apron, with 5 jetways. There are 10 gates. As in Hong Kong, Macau has its own immigration policies and is a separate customs territory from mainland China. All travellers, including those to mainland China and Hong Kong, need to go through the immigration and customs inspections of international flights.

Runway and aprons

The airport’s runway was built on a strip of reclaimed land in the sea, adjacent to Taipa Island, where the main terminal and air traffic control facilities are located. The runway is connected to the apron by two causeways. Runway 34 is ILS CAT II equipped. Navigational and radio aids are located at either end of the runway. Despite its small area, the airport is capable of handling Boeing 747s and Antonov 124s, which forms a vital freight link between local manufacturers and overseas markets. Its catering facility can produce up to 10,000 meals per day.

Other tenants

Other tenants of the airport are the Macau Customs Service (Independent department under Secretariat for Security of Macau), the Macau Immigration Department/Services (Public Security Police Force of Macau),the Macau Business Aviation Centre, Servair Macau and Menzies Macau.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines Destinations
AirAsia Kota Kinabalu,[9] Kuala Lumpur–International
Air Busan Busan
Air China Wuhan
Air Koryo Pyongyang[10]
Air Macau Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beijing–Capital, Changzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Da Nang, Fukuoka, Guiyang, Hangzhou, Hanoi, Hefei, Kaohsiung, Nanjing, Nanning, Ningbo, Osaka–Kansai, Qingdao,[11]Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Taipei–Taoyuan, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Tokyo–Narita, Wenzhou,[12] Xiamen, Zhengzhou
Bamboo Airways Charter: Nha Trang[13]
Beijing Capital Airlines Beijing–Capital
Cambodia Airways Phnom Penh,[14] Siem Reap,[14] Sihanoukville[14]
Cebu Pacific Cebu,[15] Clark, Manila
China Eastern Airlines Kunming,[16] Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Wuxi[17], Xi’an[18]
EVA Air Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei–Taoyuan
Hainan Airlines Charter: Haikou
Seasonal charter: Sanya[19]
JC International Airlines Mandalay,[20] Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville[21] 
Seasonal Charter: Denpasar/Bali
Jeju Air Daegu,[22] Muan,[23] Seoul–Incheon
Jin Air Seoul–Incheon
Juneyao Airlines Shanghai–Pudong
Lanmei Airlines Koror, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville
Loong Air Enshi,[24] Xi’an
Philippine Airlines Manila
Philippines AirAsia Cebu,[25] Manila
Royal Flight Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[26] Saint Petersburg
Royal Air Philippines Seasonal Charter: Cebu,[27] Kalibo, Lal-lo,[28] Laoag,[29]
Scoot Singapore
Shanghai Airlines Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong[30]
Shenzhen Airlines Nanchang,[31] Wuxi
Spring Airlines Hangzhou, Shanghai–Pudong
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Krabi, Pattaya–U-Tapao (ends 31 August 2019), Phuket
Tigerair Taiwan Kaohsiung,[32] Taichung,[33] Taipei–Taoyuan
XiamenAir Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen

Cargo

Airlines Destinations
MASKargo Kuala Lumpur–International[34]
Qatar Airways Cargo Chicago–O’Hare, Doha, Guadalajara,[35] Houston–Intercontinental, Liège, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Tokyo–Narita[36]

Statistics

Annual traffic

Year Passengers[37][38] Airfreight (kg)[39][40] Aircraft operations
1995 43,642 127,606 662
1996 1,300,936 25,043,358 13,386
1997 1,952,578 45,540,468 19,837
1998 2,214,487 65,166,798 24,015
1999 2,640,111 53,117,516 23,861
2000 3,239,428 68,084,076 28,692
2001 3,805,306 76,075,513 32,506
2002 4,171,703 111,267,673 37,564
2003 2,905,566 141,294,285 31,293
2004 3,714,259 220,828,358 40,506
2005 4,247,742 227,232,634 45,004
2006 4,976,093 220,572,754 51,049
2007 5,498,878 180,935,284 53,386
2008 5,097,802 167,767,412 49,764
2009 4,250,249 49,995,119 40,601
2010 4,078,836 52,165,711 37,148
2011 4,045,014 39,523,531 38,946
2012 4,491,065 27,794,488 41,997
2013 5,027,059 26,464,881 48,950
2014 5,481,441 28,767,407 52,559
2015 5,831,459 30,058,277 55,720
2016 6,628,555 32,891,452 56,932
2017 7,165,803 37,499,000 58,520

Busiest routes

Ranking Airport Weekly departures Seating capacity Carrier(s)
1 Taiwan  Taipei–Taoyuan 85   Air Macau, Eva Air, Tigerair Taiwan
2 China  Shanghai–Pudong 42   Air Macau, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Spring Airlines, Juneyao Airlines
3 South Korea  Seoul–Incheon 38   Air Macau, Jeju Air, Jin Air, T’way Airlines
4 Taiwan  Kaohsiung 36   Air Macau, Eva Air, Tigerair Taiwan
5 China  Beijing–Capital 32   Air Macau, Beijing Capital Airlines
6= China  Shanghai–Hongqiao 28   Air Macau, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines
6= Thailand  Bangkok–Don Mueang 28   Thai AirAsia
6= China  Hangzhou 28   Air Macau, Xiamen Airlines, Spring Airlines
9= Malaysia  Kuala Lumpur–International 21   AirAsia
9= Philippines  Manila 21   Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Philippines AirAsia
9= China  Wuxi 21   Shenzhen Airlines, China Eastern Airlines
12 Vietnam  Da Nang 16   Air Macau, VietJet Air
13= Thailand  Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi 14   Air Macau
13= China  Xiamen 14   Air Macau, Xiamen Airlines
13= Taiwan  Taichung 14   Eva Air, Tigerair Taiwan
13= China  Ningbo 14   Air Macau, Spring Airlines
17= Singapore  Singapore-Changi 11   Scoot
17= Thailand  Chiang Mai 11   Thai AirAsia
17= China  Xi’an 11   China Eastern Airlines, Loong Air
19 Cambodia  Phnom Penh 10   Cambodia Airways, JC International Airlines

Ground transportation

The airport is connected by public transit bus routes, taxis, private cars and regional coach services.

Air–sea link

For passengers transferring to China or Hong Kong, a “two customs, one checkpoint” service is provided. Passengers can use a bus shuttle directly from the airport to the New Macau Ferry Terminal or the Taipa Ferry Terminal without passing Macau immigration.

Bus

Towards Macau Peninsula, Taipa, Cotai and Coloane

  • Transmac routes:
    • 26 – Bacia Norte do Patane ↔ Merado Municipal de Coloane
    • 51A – The Praia ↔ Av. Vale das Borboletas
    • AP1 – Portas do Cerco ↺ Aeroporto de Macau
    • AP1X – Praça das Portas do Cerco ↺ Aeroporto de Macau (06:00-10:00, 15:00-20:00)
    • MT4 – Parque M. Dr. Sun Yat Sen ↔ Terminal Marítimo de Passageiros da Taipa
  • T.C.M. routes:
    • N2 – Bacia Norte do Patane ↔ Terminal Marítimo de Passageiros da Taipa (00:00-06:00)
    • 36 – Rotunda Leonel Sousa ↺ Aeroporto de Macau
    • MT1 – Praceta 24 de Junho ↺ Aeroporto de Macau

Cross-Border Coach

Cross-Border Coach connects Macau International Airport with mainland locations like Huadao, Guangzhou, Panyu, Dongguan, Gongbei Port of Entry and HengqinBorder. The “two customs, once checkpoint” service is also available to the Hengqin Border.

Light rail

Macau Light Rail Transit will be located at the Avenida Wai Long, Airport Station is close to Macau International Airport. In addition, the seamless connection between the Station and the footbridge allows passengers to access the Airport and the hotels nearby.[41]