Macau International Airport

[k2]

Don't u think u post too much?

[SeeMacau]

I just post what i find ..

[SeeMacau]

SINGAPORE : SilkAir, the regional wing of national carrier Singapore Airlines, is suspending its twice-weekly flights to Macau with effect from January 1 next year.

When contacted by Channel NewsAsia a SilkAir spokesperson said the decision was taken for "commercial reasons", and that customers can be served by SIA's flights to Hong Kong.

Macau and Hong Kong are linked by high-speed ferry.

Both are part of the Pearl Delta region, which in recent years has seen a mushrooming of airports.

SilkAir said that passengers who have tickets for Macau flights after December 31 will be offered a full refund or an alternative routing.

[hkskyline]

Harmony Airways eyes China
Wants a Vancouver-Macau route by 2006
PETER KENNEDY
16 December 2004
Breaking News from globeandmail.com

VANCOUVER -- Harmony Airways, the upstart airline headed by Vancouver entrepreneur David Ho, is gearing up to use high-profile political connections to enter the Chinese market.After naming former British Columbia finance minister Gary Collins as its new chief executive officer yesterday, Harmony hopes to be flying passengers between Macau and Vancouver by early 2006.

"The world is getting smaller and people are travelling more," said Mr. Ho during a splashy news conference at the Vancouver airport. "The opportunities down the road are going to be tremendous." A Vancouver entrepreneur with an interest in exotic cars, Mr. Ho is known as Dr. Ho in B.C. after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Richmond in Virginia. His grandfather made his fortune selling cigarettes in China.

A frequent air traveller with extensive business interests in Hong Kong, Mr. Ho launched what was previously known as HMY Airlines two years ago to offer flights from Canada to Las Vegas and Mexico. His initial plan was to fill a void left in the market by the collapse of Canada 3000 Inc., which went bankrupt in November, 2001.

But after recently changing its name to Harmony, the company has expanded its service to include Honolulu, Maui and Toronto.

"We consider ourselves to be a boutique airline that aims to develop routes and services as we see fit for the Vancouver market," said company spokeswoman Marie McDonnell.

Harmony currently uses three leased Boeing 757s, one of which was parked outside the departure lounge that was used to host yesterday's news conference.

But Mr. Ho clearly has much bigger plans, and believes he now has the business and political connections to make them happen.

Now that it has hired Mr. Collins, Harmony is hoping to secure rights to fly to China next year, a move that would require an agreement between China and the Canadian government. It would also put Harmony in a position to compete with major airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Air Canada.

Mr. Collins, a 41-year-old former commercial pilot, has agreed to take on the job after spending 13 years in politics.

"Flying has always been one of my major passions," said Mr. Collins, who recently helped political ally B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell balance the provincial books.

If it can secure regulatory approval from Ottawa, Harmony's immediate goal is to fly into regions that are not well served by the North American airline industry.

[hkskyline]

Lucky Virgin Blue on a roll with Macau-China flights
Steve Creedy
26 January 2005
The Australian

VIRGIN Blue is believed to be on the verge of unveiling an agreement that will give it access to the lucrative Chinese market through a deal in Macau.

Macau International Airport executive director John Chan Wai Leong said last night a deal with a low-cost carrier was expected within 30 days, with flights to the territory due to start by the end of the year.

Mr Leong would not name the carrier but said it was "a proven carrier, not a fly-by-night operator". "It's got a good track record."

Sources said they believed Virgin Blue had already signed an in-principle agreement and was waiting for paperwork to be done before making an announcement.

Rumours have been circulating for months that Virgin Blue wanted to form a joint venture with Air Macau to service routes between the gambling centre and China.

[hkskyline]

Macao Intl Airport Jan 2005 Cargo Traffic Up 68 Pct Y/Y
02 February 2005
Portuguese News Digest

Cargo traffic at Macao's International Airport Taipa rose by 68 pct year-on-year in January 2005 to a total 17,617 tonnes, data from the airport's authorities ADA, controlled by Portuguese airport operator ANA-Aeroportos de Portugal, showed on February 2, 2005.

The airport ended 2004 with 221,000 tonnes of cargo traffic, up 56 pct year-on-year. The average monthly cargo traffic in 2004 stood at 18,417 tonnes.

The number of passengers at the international airport in Macao remained unchanged at 289,701 in January 2005 compared to the same month of 2004.

The postal traffic at the airport surged by 147 pct to some 18 tonnes in January 2005, after the fall registered for the full 2004. No comparative figures were available.

Macao's International Airport was officially opened on December 8, 1995. Macao's flag carrier Air Macau accounts for close to half of the total airport traffic. Air Macau operates flights connecting China with Taiwan.

ADA has earlier announced it planned to invest an undisclosed sum in various reconstruction and modernisation projects in 2005, aimed at improving the airport's capacity.

(Alternative/Original name: Aeroporto Internacional de Macau, Administracao de Aeroportos)

[SeeMacau]

SN30952 writes "We want to build up Macau not only as a destination but as a gateway to Hong Kong and Southern China said Tiger chief executive officer Tony Davis at a press lunch yesterday.

Earlier this month, Tiger Airways applied for rights to fly to Clarke Field, serving passengers waiting to travel to Manila.

Mr Davis said the reason Tiger was launching flights to Chiang Mai was to build up a "critical mass"."

[SeeMacau]

Territory is airline's 8th destination

shobha@newstoday.com.sg

Shobha Tsering Bhalla
.
TIGER Airways, one of Singapore's three low-cost carriers (LCC), has just been given the rights to fly to Macau by the territory's authorities — making it the airline's eighth destination since it began operations five months ago.
.
Its other destinations include Bangkok, Phuket, Hatyai, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Singapore.
.
Also, in what is a first for a Singapore-based LLC, Tiger Airways will offer "through" tickets on buses and ferries to Hong Kong and neighbouring destinations in China's Pearl Delta.
.
"We want to build up Macau not only as a destination but as a gateway to Hong Kong and Southern China. This could mean through tickets that include passes to Hong Kong's upcoming Disney Land theme park, said Tiger chief executive officer Tony Davis at a press lunch yesterday.
.
It expects to start flying there within two months, or as soon as it has sorted out the paperwork, said Mr Davis. "The air rights are available to us. It's only a matter of formalities being sorted out," he said.
.
The airline is in the process of confirming the number of weekly flights it will offer to Macau, but industry sources said daily flights are likely.
.
Seeking out secondary routes and developing new hubs is how Tiger plans to differentiate itself from the competition, following the business model of leading European LCC Ryanair, whose founder Tony Ryan has a stake in Tiger.
.
Citing as an example its strategy in Thailand where it flies to four cities, Mr Davis said the reason Tiger was launching flights to Chiang Mai was to build up a "critical mass".
.
"The European experience is critical here because like Europe, Asia is not a homogeneous whole — it has several languages and currencies.
.
"Our strategy is to have a network of destinations within a country where the currency and language are the same. This way it's more cost-effective for us," said Mr Davis, who is a former British LCC executive.
.
A key part of its business strategy is developing secondary routes; hence the choice of cities such as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi in Vietnam and Macau instead of Hong Kong, he said.
.
But such a business strategy may not be easy to sustain here as there are few secondary airports in Asia, said industry insiders.
.
"Unlike Europe, there aren't many secondary airports to choose from. Macau is not a secondary airport to Hong Kong, nor is Clarke Field (in the Philippines) a secondary airport to Manila," said an executive at a rival airline who asked not to be named.
.
Earlier this month, Tiger Airways applied for rights to fly to Clarke Field, serving passengers waiting to travel to Manila.
Territory is airline's 8th destination

shobha@newstoday.com.sg

Shobha Tsering Bhalla
.
TIGER Airways, one of Singapore's three low-cost carriers (LCC), has just been given the rights to fly to Macau by the territory's authorities — making it the airline's eighth destination since it began operations five months ago.
.
Its other destinations include Bangkok, Phuket, Hatyai, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Singapore.
.
Also, in what is a first for a Singapore-based LLC, Tiger Airways will offer "through" tickets on buses and ferries to Hong Kong and neighbouring destinations in China's Pearl Delta.
.
"We want to build up Macau not only as a destination but as a gateway to Hong Kong and Southern China. This could mean through tickets that include passes to Hong Kong's upcoming Disney Land theme park, said Tiger chief executive officer Tony Davis at a press lunch yesterday.
.
It expects to start flying there within two months, or as soon as it has sorted out the paperwork, said Mr Davis. "The air rights are available to us. It's only a matter of formalities being sorted out," he said.
.
The airline is in the process of confirming the number of weekly flights it will offer to Macau, but industry sources said daily flights are likely.
.
Seeking out secondary routes and developing new hubs is how Tiger plans to differentiate itself from the competition, following the business model of leading European LCC Ryanair, whose founder Tony Ryan has a stake in Tiger.
.
Citing as an example its strategy in Thailand where it flies to four cities, Mr Davis said the reason Tiger was launching flights to Chiang Mai was to build up a "critical mass".
.
"The European experience is critical here because like Europe, Asia is not a homogeneous whole — it has several languages and currencies.
.
"Our strategy is to have a network of destinations within a country where the currency and language are the same. This way it's more cost-effective for us," said Mr Davis, who is a former British LCC executive.
.
A key part of its business strategy is developing secondary routes; hence the choice of cities such as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi in Vietnam and Macau instead of Hong Kong, he said.
.
But such a business strategy may not be easy to sustain here as there are few secondary airports in Asia, said industry insiders.
.
"Unlike Europe, there aren't many secondary airports to choose from. Macau is not a secondary airport to Hong Kong, nor is Clarke Field (in the Philippines) a secondary airport to Manila," said an executive at a rival airline who asked not to be named.
.
Earlier this month, Tiger Airways applied for rights to fly to Clarke Field, serving passengers waiting to travel to Manila.
Territory is airline's 8th destination

shobha@newstoday.com.sg

Shobha Tsering Bhalla
.
TIGER Airways, one of Singapore's three low-cost carriers (LCC), has just been given the rights to fly to Macau by the territory's authorities — making it the airline's eighth destination since it began operations five months ago.
.
Its other destinations include Bangkok, Phuket, Hatyai, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Singapore.
.
Also, in what is a first for a Singapore-based LLC, Tiger Airways will offer "through" tickets on buses and ferries to Hong Kong and neighbouring destinations in China's Pearl Delta.
.
"We want to build up Macau not only as a destination but as a gateway to Hong Kong and Southern China. This could mean through tickets that include passes to Hong Kong's upcoming Disney Land theme park, said Tiger chief executive officer Tony Davis at a press lunch yesterday.
.
It expects to start flying there within two months, or as soon as it has sorted out the paperwork, said Mr Davis. "The air rights are available to us. It's only a matter of formalities being sorted out," he said.
.
The airline is in the process of confirming the number of weekly flights it will offer to Macau, but industry sources said daily flights are likely.
.
Seeking out secondary routes and developing new hubs is how Tiger plans to differentiate itself from the competition, following the business model of leading European LCC Ryanair, whose founder Tony Ryan has a stake in Tiger.
.
Citing as an example its strategy in Thailand where it flies to four cities, Mr Davis said the reason Tiger was launching flights to Chiang Mai was to build up a "critical mass".
.
"The European experience is critical here because like Europe, Asia is not a homogeneous whole — it has several languages and currencies.
.
"Our strategy is to have a network of destinations within a country where the currency and language are the same. This way it's more cost-effective for us," said Mr Davis, who is a former British LCC executive.
.
A key part of its business strategy is developing secondary routes; hence the Territory is airline's 8th destination

shobha@newstoday.com.sg

Shobha Tsering Bhalla
.
TIGER Airways, one of Singapore's three low-cost carriers (LCC), has just been given the rights to fly to Macau by the territory's authorities — making it the airline's eighth destination since it began operations five months ago.
.
Its other destinations include Bangkok, Phuket, Hatyai, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Singapore.
.
Also, in what is a first for a Singapore-based LLC, Tiger Airways will offer "through" tickets on buses and ferries to Hong Kong and neighbouring destinations in China's Pearl Delta.
.
"We want to build up Macau not only as a destination but as a gateway to Hong Kong and Southern China. This could mean through tickets that include passes to Hong Kong's upcoming Disney Land theme park, said Tiger chief executive officer Tony Davis at a press lunch yesterday.
.
It expects to start flying there within two months, or as soon as it has sorted out the paperwork, said Mr Davis. "The air rights are available to us. It's only a matter of formalities being sorted out," he said.
.
The airline is in the process of confirming the number of weekly flights it will offer to Macau, but industry sources said daily flights are likely.
.
Seeking out secondary routes and developing new hubs is how Tiger plans to differentiate itself from the competition, following the business model of leading European LCC Ryanair, whose founder Tony Ryan has a stake in Tiger.
.
Citing as an example its strategy in Thailand where it flies to four cities, Mr Davis said the reason Tiger was launching flights to Chiang Mai was to build up a "critical mass".
.
"The European experience is critical here because like Europe, Asia is not a homogeneous whole — it has several languages and currencies.
.
"Our strategy is to have a network of destinations within a country where the currency and language are the same. This way it's more cost-effective for us," said Mr Davis, who is a former British LCC executive.
.
A key part of its business strategy is developing secondary routes; hence the choice of cities such as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi in Vietnam and Macau instead of Hong Kong, he said.
.
But such a business strategy may not be easy to sustain here as there are few secondary airports in Asia, said industry insiders.
.
"Unlike Europe, there aren't many secondary airports to choose from. Macau is not a secondary airport to Hong Kong, nor is Clarke Field (in the Philippines) a secondary airport to Manila," said an executive at a rival airline who asked not to be named.
.
Earlier this month, Tiger Airways applied for rights to fly to Clarke Field, serving passengers waiting to travel to Manila.

Territory is airline's 8th destination

shobha@newstoday.com.sg

Shobha Tsering Bhalla
.
TIGER Airways, one of Singapore's three low-cost carriers (LCC), has just been given the rights to fly to Macau by the territory's authorities — making it the airline's eighth destination since it began operations five months ago.
.
Its other destinations include Bangkok, Phuket, Hatyai, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Singapore.
.
Also, in what is a first for a Singapore-based LLC, Tiger Airways will offer "through" tickets on buses and ferries to Hong Kong and neighbouring destinations in China's Pearl Delta.
.
"We want to build up Macau not only as a destination but as a gateway to Hong Kong and Southern China. This could mean through tickets that include passes to Hong Kong's upcoming Disney Land theme park, said Tiger chief executive officer Tony Davis at a press lunch yesterday.
.
It expects to start flying there within two months, or as soon as it has sorted out the paperwork, said Mr Davis. "The air rights are available to us. It's only a matter of formalities being sorted out," he said.
.
The airline is in the process of confirming the number of weekly flights it will offer to Macau, but industry sources said daily flights are likely.
.
Seeking out secondary routes and developing new hubs is how Tiger plans to differentiate itself from the competition, following the business model of leading European LCC Ryanair, whose founder Tony Ryan has a stake in Tiger.
.
Citing as an example its strategy in Thailand where it flies to four cities, Mr Davis said the reason Tiger was launching flights to Chiang Mai was to build up a "critical mass".
.
"The European experience is critical here because like Europe, Asia is not a homogeneous whole — it has several languages and currencies.
.
"Our strategy is to have a network of destinations within a country where the currency and language are the same. This way it's more cost-effective for us," said Mr Davis, who is a former British LCC executive.
.
A key part of its business strategy is developing secondary routes; hence the choice of cities such as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi in Vietnam and Macau instead of Hong Kong, he said.
.
But such a business strategy may not be easy to sustain here as there are few secondary airports in Asia, said industry insiders.
.
"Unlike Europe, there aren't many secondary airports to choose from. Macau is not a secondary airport to Hong Kong, nor is Clarke Field (in the Philippines) a secondary airport to Manila," said an executive at a rival airline who asked not to be named.
.
Earlier this month, Tiger Airways applied for rights to fly to Clarke Field, serving passengers waiting to travel to Manila.
.

[SeeMacau]

SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Singapore Airlines' (S55.SG) budget airline affiliate, Tiger Airways, Wednesday said it will start flying to Macau from late March and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam from April as it seeks to diversify its revenue base.

It will fly five times a week to Macau starting Mar. 25, four times a week to Ho Chi Minh City from April 1 and thrice weekly to Hanoi from April 7.

The airline will also increase flights to Phuket from the current seven times a week to 10 times.

Ticket sales for the new services start Thursday, Tiger said in a statement.

"Tiger Airways is excited to be Singapore's only low cost carrier to be offering low fares for flights to Macau and Vietnam. This will strengthen the connectivity between Singapore and these destinations and result in more business and tourism with both countries," said Tony Davis, CEO of Tiger Airways.

Tiger expects to launch services to Indonesia and the Philippines by 1H05.

Unlike its rivals Valuair and Qantas Airways affiliate Jetstar Asia, Tiger currently flies only to destinations in Thailand - Bangkok, Hat Yai and Phuket.

While traffic to Bangkok has remained strong, tourist flow to Phuket has sharply declined after the beach resort city was devastated by the tidal waves in late December.

[hkskyline]

Orient Thai skipping enclave for time being
Zach Coleman
18 March 2005
The Standard

Orient Thai Airlines has no plans to start services to Macau for the time being despiteits successful campaign last year for the right to fly to the SAR.

"We're not in a hurry," said Udom Tantiprasongchai, the carrier's managingdirector and chief executive. "Demandis very poor."

Udom last year sought to make Macau the first overseas destination for Orient Thai's discount arm, One-Two-Go. But because rival budget carrier AirAsia had started its own Bangkok-Macau flights, One-Two-Go was blocked as the aviation agreement betweenThailand and Macau then allowedonly one airline from each side to offer regular flights. Air Macau already served the route from this end.

One-Two-Go operated a few charter flights from Pattaya before the Thai and Macau governments agreed to liberalize air traffic rights last fall. After flying some more charters from Bangkok, One-Two-Go gave up.

"There's overcapacity in this sector,"Udom said. Travelers from Thailand have been put off flying to Macau because of rising hotel room rates. "There's just not enough hotel rooms in Macau," he said.

According to figures from the Statisticsand Census Service, Macau's room supply contracted by 0.2 percent last year to 9,168 rooms.

For the year, hotels filled 76 percent of available rooms. The number of hotel guests coming from Thailand quadrupledin January from the same month a year ago to 1,895. Most Thai visitors stayed in four-star hotels.

Udom claimed AirAsia is doing poorly on its Macau route, filling only half the seats on its flights and selling many of those at deep discount.

AirAsia's Web site features one-way, pre-tax fares between Macau and Bangkok as low as 179 patacas, just over the promotional price of 149 patacas at which AirAsia introduced the service and below the 219 pataca level chief executive Tony Fernandes identifiedlast year; the price of the most expensivetickets has fallen to 679 patacas from 709 patacas.

AirAsia spokeswoman Jeamie Lee, however, disputed Udom's contentions.

"Our loads are very good," she said, pointing to the airline's addition of a second daily flight on the route just three months after it started service. She said that the airline has filled three-quarters of the seats on the flights since they started.

"Macau is one of our top sectors from Kuala Lumpur," she added, citing an 80 percent seat-fill rate. Many passengers taking AirAsia to Macau are traveling onward to Hong Kong or mainland China, she said.

Orient Thai serves Hong Kong and Guangzhou directly.

[hkskyline]

Macau International Airport attended the "First Logistic Summit on Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau" in Shenzhen
2005-03-17

A delegation of the Macau International Airport Company Limited led by Mr. Cui Guang, Director of Logistic Cargo Development, representing the Company attended the "First Logistic Summit on Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau" in Shenzhen which was jointly organized by the Shenzhen Municipal Office of the Leading Group for Logistics Development, Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Bureau of Economy of the Macao SAR Government.

The two-day Summit took place at Shenzhen Wuzhou Guest House; it was the first designed topic since the implementation of CEPA and the Pan-PRD Regional Co-operation Framework Agreement. The Vice Mayor of Shenzhen, Mr Liu Yingli delivered the opening address of the Forum unfolding the current logistics development of Shenzhen. More than 200 industry practitioners from the logistics sectors in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau attended this "First Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Logistics Summit".

The focus of the summit is to explore competitive advantages of the three cities´ logistics sectors and identify the areas for co-operation for sustainable development. Government officials and industry leaders from the three cities presented their latest developments in customs and logistics policies and regulations, logistics infrastructure, industry trends and e-logistics technologies. After the Forum's proceedings, the delegates had the opportunity to visit some of the industry´s entities in Shenzhen.

Mr. Franco Kwan, Manager and Mr. Stanley Sam, officer of Logistic Cargo Development represented Macau International Airport Co. Ltd attended in this summit as well.

[SeeMacau]

Zach Coleman


March 25, 2005


After decades as a day-trip destination for Hong Kong's ferry-riding multitudes, Macau now welcomes busloads of mainlanders on excursion.

But former Cathay Pacific Airways executive Andrew Pyne intends to bring visitors by the planeful from Europe, the Middle East, North America and Africa.

``We're not viewing Macau as a transit point but as an exciting destination,'' said Pyne, the public face of the yet-secret band of investors from Macau, Hong Kong, Australia, Italy and the United States who are raising US$30 million (HK$234 million) to launch airline Wow Macau later this year. ``This place is booming.''

As a startup, Wow is keen to avoid head-to-head competition so the lack of long-distance flights from Macau appeals to Pyne's group more than Hong Kong's saturated marketplace. Macau officials have negotiated air services agreements with 41 countries, but only six are presently served by passenger flights, another reason for Wow to skip Hong Kong's long route licensing process.

Operating from Macau, however, requires the consent of Air Macau as the incumbent holds a 25-year legal monopoly on offering commercial flights there. Talks are advancing and Pyne expects the two airlines to work out an agreement to channel traffic between Air Macau's regional flights and Wow's planned long-haul routes. Air Macau's best customers are Taiwanese traveling to mainland China on business or pleasure, few of whom stop off in the territory for a look around. Officially, 5 percent of the 2.9 million people who visited Macau in the first two months of the year came by air, but that figure includes people transiting between flights here and nearby cities by road or sea. Pyne believes Wow can help raise the air share up to 15 percent. He anticipates carrying one million passengers annually within two years with an initial fleet of five leased Boeing 757 and 767 jets, which are both mid-sized and mid-range.

Generating those passenger numbers will require extending Wow's target market to include some passengers traveling to and from Hong Kong and nearby mainland cities, Pyne admitted. Acknowledging that Wow will need to provide an incentive beyond price to fly via Macau, Pyne said the carrier will sell tickets through innovative channels that he declined to reveal and will offer a much broader range of food, entertainment and seating choices than the conventional class options of economy, business or first.

Wow currently has a staff of 14, but Pyne sees that growing to 400 by launch. He expects the carrier will operate 10 planes within four years and he has his sights on introducing the new mid-sized, long-range Boeing 787 model by 2010. Pyne expects Wow to generate at least 20 percent of revenue from carrying cargo.

[hkskyline]

Airline passengers end fog delay row with EVA Airways
8 February 2005
The China Post

Two groups of airline passengers ended protests against overnight delays in flights from Macau and went home yesterday after EVA Airways paid each of them NT$2,500 as compensation for the inconveniences.

The protesters were among 596 passengers stranded at Macau airport and were forced to spend the night there due to heavy fog at Taiwan's Chiang Kai-shek International Airport.

The fog, which reduced visibility to less than 100 meters forced postponement of more than 100 international and domestic flights in the past two days.

The passengers for the two EVA Airways flights were scheduled to return last night but didn't reach CKS airport until 800 a.m. and 1210 p.m. respectively.

Both groups refused to leave their aircrafts for about an hour, claiming they had been ignored by the airline, which they said was trying to avoid putting them up in a Macau hotel for the night.

"The airline repeatedly lied to us. Time and again they told us to stand by at various boarding gates. What they did was aimed at saving the due accommodation fees," one passenger said.

More than a dozen of police officers finally managed to persuade the passengers to disembark after an hour.

But the passengers carried their protest into the EVA Airways counter at the airport, where they demanded US$200 plus ground transportation service to take them to the three metropolises -- Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung -- as compensation from EVA Airways, police officials said.

An EVA Airways spokesman said weather could not be used to demand compensation for delays. "Weather is a factor beyond our control," he said.

Aviation officials and police officers also emphasized that the regulations prohibit passengers from engaging in sit-ins or protests of other forms due to forces majeur.

But following negotiations, the airline agreed to give NT$2,500 (US$78.86) and a meal coupon worth US$20 to each of the passengers who later embarked on trips home for the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.

But some passengers declined the offer saying they would ask a non-profit consumers protection group to arbitrate the dispute.

Officials of the Consumers Foundation pointed out that although the heavy fog was beyond human control, the airlines were still obligated to provide passengers with assistance for food, beverages, and boarding.

They said it didn't surprise them that passengers became emotional after they were forced to spend the whole night Sunday at the Macau airport and changed boarding gates seven or eight times as told by airline staff but were still unable to get on the planes until yesterday morning.

[babystan03]

Business Times - 25 Mar 2005

Tiger Airways launches service to gambling enclave of Macau

HONG KONG - Singapore-based budget carrier Tiger Airways on Friday launched flights between the Republic and the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.

Tiger Airways, a unit of Singapore Airlines, said it will fly five times a week between Singapore and Macau, a former Portuguese colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1999.

"Tiger Airways is excited to add Macau as our new destination," said Tony Davis, the airline's chief executive. "Given we are the only service between the two vibrant cities, we hope to play our part in boosting the economy and tourism locally."

Macau is 60 kilometres west of Hong Kong and attracts thousands of Hong Kong and Chinese gamblers who have no casinos at home.

Mr Davis said in a statement that the airline will further expand its service in the region in the next two months. It will launch flights to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and Manila, the Philippines' capital, in April and to Indonesia's Padang city in May.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

[hkskyline]

Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. participates in New Route Asia 2005
2005-03-07

A delegation of the Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. participated the third annual New Route Asia 2005 which took place from 7th - 8th March 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. New Route Asia is a forum designed to bring airlines and airports together to discuss future market opportunities. It is a regional event focused entirely on the development of air services within the Asia Pacific region and this year.with over 300 delegates in attendance at this year´s event - a record for this event.

A promotional booth was jointly set up by Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. and Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd., where the forum participants had access to Macau International Airport Co. Ltd.´s video and information of the airport services and facilities and its latest achievements, namely the CAPA Asia Pacific Airport of the Year, 2004.

During the proceedings of the forum the representatives from the Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. held meetings with both airlines and airports. Macau´s aviation environment as well as the latest developments in the infrastructure, tourism, gaming and entertainment were the main topics the airlines discussed with the MIA representatives. A lot of airlines showed interested in Macau International Airport and will plan inspection trips to Macau shortly.. Information and experience sharing also took place when meeting with colleagues from other Asian Airports.

Mr. Neo Liu, Manager of Marketing Department, Ms. Patricia Au, Assistant Manager of Marketing Department and Mr. João Antunes, Assistant Manager of Communications Department represented Macau International Airport Co. Ltd in this forum.

[hkskyline]

Nok Air in race to tap Thai travel boom
Zach Coleman
1 April 2005
The Standard

Thai discount carrier Nok Air plans to start services in July from Bangkok to Macau, making the SAR its first internationaldestination.

Chief executive Patee Sarasin said he is targeting Macau as a stepping-stone into the mainland and because he expects interest in travel to the territory to surge in Thailand.

"It's just a gambling center for now," he said. "I think within the next two years, Macau is going to sprout into a center of entertainment for Asia."

Thailand emerged as Macau's fastest-growing source of visitors last year, sending 41,841 residents to the SAR, a 131 percent jump on 2003.

Patee said Nok Air wants to operate flights from Macau to mainland cities and that he is setting up a team in the SAR to pursue this strategy.

Flying from here will require the consent of Air Macau as it holds a 25-year monopoly on local commercial airline operations, but Patee said Nok Air is not yet in talks with the carrier.

Air Macau's favor is much in demandas Australia's Virgin Blue Airlines and local group Wow Macau are also seeking permission for flights from the territory.

As an intermediate step, Patee said, Nok Air will introduce flights to Shenzhen and other mainland cities from Bangkok, possibly by year-end.

Even for the Macau-Bangkok flights, Nok Air is counting on drawing many customers from the mainland to tap interest there in travel to Thailand.

Though he expects most early passengers on the new flights to be Thai, Patee said familiarity with Nok Air has already spread beyond Thailand, citing internal figures showing up to 30 percentof passengers on some domestic routes to be foreigners. Macau airport officials started courting Patee even beforeNok launched last summer.

The airline, in which Thai Airways International holds a 39 percent stake, has made its mark in Thailand's cut-throat domestic market with sales innovations, such as distributing tickets through 7-Eleven stores, video rental outlets and ATMs.

To ease its entry into Macau, Nok Air is in talks to enlist local travel agents to promote its flights, but Patee said it will also carve out some new channels here. "It could be ATMs," he said.

Nok Air also distinguishes itself from other discount carriers by offering business class service. For an extra 500 baht (HK$99), domestic passengers get a bigger seat, a drink and a snack, a newspaper, double baggage-weight allowance and looser rules on bookings.

Nok Air will offer the same class of service on its Macau flights using the same Boeing 737-400 jets but will also introduce something new that Patee insists on keeping secret.

"It's a new kind of service," he said. "It'll be the talk of the town."

Nok Air's Bangkok-Macau flights will compete directly with those offered by Air Macau and AirAsia, another discountcarrier that is battling Nok Air on Thai domestic routes. AirAsia flies from Macau twice a day and Air Macau goes four times a week, with Thai Airways also selling seats on its flights.

Nok Air will initially fly the route once a day. Patee is confident demand will be sufficient to sustain entry of anotherairline. Nok Air will emphasize its innovations rather than aim to be the cheapest carrier, he said.

Patee's comments come as Singapore discount carrier Tiger Airways grabbed the spotlight this week by offering limited tickets on its new Macau-Singapore flights for a pre-tax price of HK$45 each way. AirAsia introduced its Macau-Bangkok flights at the promotional pre-tax price of 149 patacas (HK$145).

Patee indicated that Nok Air is also choosing to fly north to Macau because of the heavy competition on "southern"routes such as Bangkok-Singapore,a corridor served by several budget carriers as well as full-service airlines. "That market is very much saturated," he said. Macau beat out other airports in this area as Nok Air's first target because of its low fees.

[hkskyline]

Air Macau Swings to 6.8 Mln Euro Profit - 2004
30 March 2005
Portuguese News Digest

Flag carrier Air Macau, in which Portuguese flag carrier TAP Air Portugal has a stake, ended 2004 with a net profit of 71 mln Macao patacas ($8.9 mln/6.8 mln euro), it was reported on March 30, 2005.

The carrier posted a net loss of 150 mln patacas ($18.7 mln/14.5 mln euro) for 2003.

The 2004 results followed a recovery of the Asian airlines market, after the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic outbreak in China, Hong Kong and other southeastern Asian countries in the first six months of 2003. The outbreak resulted in a loss of some 500,000 passengers and the cancellation of some 100 flights for Air Macau in 2003.

Air Macau flies a fleet of five Airbus A321 aircraft, one Airbus A320, five Airbus A319, and three cargo aircraft. The company operates 14 regional routes, eight to China continental, two to Taiwan and one to Bangkok, Manila and Seoul each.

Air Macau's was established in September 1994 and its main shareholder is the aviation conglomerate China National Aviation Corp with 51 pct.

[SeeMacau]

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Macau Eagle Aviation Services Ltd., a startup airline, said it expects to begin operating this year after finalizing a concession agreement with Macau's incumbent air carrier.

Macau Eagle, whose airline will be marketed under the brand name of WOW!Macau, said it "aims to work with Air Macau by feeding overseas traffic to its existing mainland China- and Taiwan-focused route network."

Air Macau Co. is now the Chinese territory's sole airline, though a number of new budget carriers have been eyeing Macau as a possible base. Macau's airport has lower costs than nearby Hong Kong and is handling a growing number of passengers thanks to a local tourism boom.

Air Macau is majority owned by China National Aviation Co. (1110.HK), a Chinese government company, but Macau tycoon Stanley Ho also has a large interest.

Macau Eagle had reportedly also been considering Hong Kong as a base but the company said it is now "prepared to make a definite commitment to Macau" because of support from the local government and business community.

"We intend to welcome customers to our services well before the end of the year," Chief Executive Andrew Pyne said in a statement.

He said the expected sub-concession agreement with Air Macau hasn't yet been completed, and said a firm launch date and service plans would only be announced once that deal is done.

Macau Eagle's announcement came close on the heels of one by another new airline in neighboring Hong Kong. On Friday, Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd. said it had been licensed by the local government and would start applying for traffic rights.

The company operates passenger helicopter services in Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen, but has bought mid-sized jet airliners with plans to expand service to second-tier Chinese cities as well.

[SeeMacau]

Air Macau, the only carrier operating from the former Portuguese colony, plans to end its monopoly by sharing traffic rights with airlines that want to start flights from the city.

Air Macau has government permission to talk to carriers that want to start up in the city, said Simon Chan, acting president of Macau's Civil Aviation Authority, in an interview at an aviation conference here yesterday.

"As to how Air Macau will co-operate with them, that's outside the Government's control," Mr Chan said. Air Macau could set up a joint venture with other companies or share its rights, he said.

Air Macau, which was given a 25-year, exclusive operating licence in the city in 1995, now flies to 14 destinations in China and South-East Asia.

Shun Tak Holdings, controlled by casino tycoon Stanley Ho, and other companies such as WOW!Macau, want to tap increasing travel to Macau as the city's casinos expand and attract more tourists.

Shun Tak, based in Hong Kong, was in talks with Air Macau and Virgin Blue about setting up a budget carrier in Macau, said Shun Tak managing director Pansy Ho. Air Macau had applied to the city's government to set up the new carrier, she said.

Macau, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1999, had a record 16.7 million tourists last year, 57 per cent of them from mainland China.

The local government ended Stanley Ho's 42-year casino monopoly in Macau in 2002, granting licences to Las Vegas gaming billionaires Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn.

WOW, the first budget airline to be based in Macau, might begin flying to cities in Asia, Europe and North America by the end of this year, chief executive Andrew Pyne said last week.

Golden Dragon, a company that plans to fly to secondary cities in mainland China, was also in talks with Air Macau, said John Chan, executive director of CAM-Macau International Airport.

Air Macau is 51 per cent-owned by China National Aviation, which also controls Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, the city's second-largest carrier.

China National Aviation's shares fell as much as 1.2 per cent and traded 0.6 per cent lower at $HK1.70 in Hong Kong.

They have gained 4.9 per cent this year while the benchmark Hang Seng index has dropped 6 per cent.

[SeeMacau]

WOW!Macao, the second registered airline in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), is hopefully to take off in November, offering both low-cost and business-class seats at customers' choices.

According to sources with the ongoing 54th Annual Conference ofthe Pacific Asia Tourist Association (PATA) Tuesday, WOW!Macao's launch hinges on negotiations with Air Macao for a sub-concession agreement.

Air Macao with a majority of the stake owned by China's state-owned National Aviation Corp., has a 25-year concession for Macao's air transportation starting from 1995. Thus, any new carrier hasto compensate Air Macao for the use of its routes.

The Macao SAR government's latest intention to liberalize the aviation market has led to its nod to allow Air Macao to seek sub-concessions with new airline companies.

The core of the partnership talks between Air Macao and WOW!Macao lies in the compromising sum of payment for the sub-concession and the allocation of air routes. After the settlement of these issues, WOW!Macao, registered earlier this year, will need another four to five months making preparations for scheduling flights and booking planes.

Andrew J Pyne, chief executive of WOW!Macao, a former British Airways and Cathay Pacific executive, said that at the initial stage of operation, the company will rent two Boeing aircraft flying from Macao to the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.

Pyne said that the company plans to boast a fleet of 12 Boeing planes in three years with long-distance destinations to America, Australia, India, Africa and Europe.

The company with shareholders from China's Macao, Chinese Hong Kong, and Thailand, Australia and Italy is determined to establishitself as a real choice carrier offering cheap tickets to those who want them and more expensive ones for business class.

Pyne said he believed that Macao has a huge untapped potential with last year's visitor arrivals topping 16 million. However, theMacao International Airport only handled 6 million passengers and 170,000 tons of cargo in 2004, and Macao only has air links to 17 destinations, which are mainly in China's mainland, he said.

Attracted to Macao's huge potential, the Malaysia-based Air Asia opened the first low-cost route linking Macao with Bangkok last July. In March this year, Tiger Airways came in the second tooffer low fare to Singapore. Then, Thailand's NOK Airways has expressed its intention to launch its low-cost route linking Macaowith Bangkok in November.