Air Macau’s first direct flight to Jakarta did not take off as planned on Sunday, with the airline issuing a statement saying “capacity restrictions” at the destination airport meant it had been postponed, the Macau Post Daily reports.
Yesterday was meant to mark the start of a four-times-a-week direct flight route connecting Macao with the Indonesian capital’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
The airline said it was working closely with Jakarta’s airport and Indonesia’s civil aviation authority to resolve the issue. No information around alternative flight dates was provided.
Macao’s airport website states that Air Macau flight NX909 – scheduled to arrive at 3.50pm today from Jakarta – had also been cancelled.
[See more: MGTO is working hard to lure tourists from Indonesia and Malaysia]
It is not currently possible to purchase tickets from Macao to Jakarta, or vice versa, on Air Macau’s website. No flights on this route appear to be available across the whole of November.
The new route was part of the government’s efforts to attract more international tourists to Macao, and reduce its dependence on the domestic tourist market.
Earlier this month, Air Macau reiterated this message to local media, adding that it planned to add more international routes in the near future.
As of September, Indonesia was Macao’s second biggest source of foreign arrivals – and fifth overall (after China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines). There is also a sizable Indonesian population living and working in Macao.
