Portugal’s consul general in Macao and Hong Kong, Alexandre Leitão, has voiced his frustration over the fact that Macao’s first and only direct cargo flight with Europe is connected to the Spanish capital of Madrid, rather than the Portuguese cities of Lisbon or Porto.
The cargo route was inaugurated earlier this month by Ethiopian Airlines, connecting the SAR to the Spanish capital’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.
According to the Portuguese language outlet, Diário de Notícias, Leitão said he “wrote to Lisbon” to show that he was “very angry” over the new flight that does not include Portugal, despite the country’s administration of Macao for over 400 years and its continued influence in the territory.
Leitão stressed that he had been lobbying with the Portuguese government for two years to develop a direct flight route between Macao and Portugal, adding that he was “not convinced that it is not feasible,” as the flight could be serviced by a national airport and a Portuguese carrier.
[See more: Africa’s leading carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, launches Macao-Madrid cargo route]
“Here [in Macao] there are more than a hundred restaurants that claim to be Portuguese; there are dealerships, there is trade and this year [the city] will open two more Portuguese restaurants,” the Portuguese envoy said during a presentation at the Portuguese Tourism Pavilion at the 13th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo.
“I repeat, I am not convinced that a flight that performs a dual function of transporting people and transporting goods is not feasible.”
To hammer home the point, the consul general said that there were 153,000 Portuguese nationals living in the city.
“Can you explain to me why Lisbon isn’t an Atlantic and European hub, as well as a lusophone hub for markets like Brazil, which are served like no other? Or Porto?” Leitão asked.
