Civil aviation leaders from Macao, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong struck key agreements at a high-level meeting in Macao on Wednesday, including the creation of new helicopter flight transfer points and closer integration of Macao’s airport with national air traffic systems, according to a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao.
The annual Civil Aviation Air Traffic Management High-Level Meeting, combined with the 2025 Airspace and Flow Management Technical Group Meeting, brought together senior officials and industry representatives to coordinate Greater Bay Area (GBA) airspace development and operational improvements.
Macao confirmed consensus with the Central and Southern China Air Traffic Control Bureau and Zhuhai Approach Control Center on three new visual flight control transfer points to the west of the city. The move will enhance safety and efficiency for helicopter operations across the western Pearl River Delta.
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The SAR’s international airport has also been preliminarily connected to the mainland’s national flow management platform. The upgrade allows the city to receive real-time data on congestion and flow control in mainland airspace, helping to ensure smoother cross-border operations.
Delegates at the meeting examined long-term planning based on years of big data simulations, while reviewing trials to improve weather-related rerouting and flow management efficiency. The Macao delegation presented progress on its airport expansion project, designed to strengthen the city’s role as an international hub for tourism.
With China pushing to develop a “low-altitude economy,” the three parties also discussed regulation of unmanned aircraft alongside traditional aviation. Civil Aviation Authority of Macao President Pun Wa Kin said ongoing cooperation on airspace optimisation, new technologies and drone management would support sustainable growth in the Greater Bay Area’s aviation sector.
