This time last year, as Macao tentatively emerged from the pandemic, travel remained a chore.
Busan’s beaches or the scenic island of Jeju, in South Korea? You’d need a stopover to reach them back in February 2023 (but no longer). How about Kota Kinabalu, nestled at the edge of Borneo’s rainforest? AirAsia didn’t resume flights to that Malaysian city until July.
It wasn’t until November that Air Macau launched its first bi-weekly flight to Indonesia’s sprawling capital Jakarta.
The list of direct destinations is growing all the time. Next up, budget airline VietJet is launching daily flights to Vietnam’s Haiphong (gateway to majestic Ha Long Bay) and the modern coastal city of Nha Trang, the Macau International Airport Company (CAM) has revealed. AirAsia Cambodia is also set to start a daily service between Macao and Phnom Penh next month.
[See more: Turning the page: Where can your Macao passport take you?]
Macao’s airport capacity has traditionally limited direct flights to short-haul destinations within Asia. But that could be about to change with the advent of wide-body aircraft from March, CAM announced last week. These larger planes are multi-aisled (think Boeing 777s and the Airbus A350) and bigger fuel tanks let them to venture further afield.
The Macau Daily Times reported that the move could see airlines flying directly from Macao to Middle Eastern destinations such as Doha and Dubai – two routes the Times indicated were on the cards. Air Macau plans to introduce its first wide-body aircraft next month and Korean Air has said it would use wide-body aircraft on its Macao-Seoul route.
Things are improving when it comes to stopover routes too. China Southern Airlines recently announced it would operate connecting flights between Macao and Moscow and Istanbul from March. Both flights would transit at Beijing’s Daxing Airport before transporting passengers to the Russian capital or Turkey’s own (Middle) East-meets-West wonder city.
[See more: Here’s what to do if you lose your Macao passport while travelling]
As of February, CAM said that 26 airlines were flying into and out of Macao’s international airport. They service 43 different routes, more than half of which are to the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. The airport has been adding new routes to its roster with increasing regularity, in line with the government’s efforts to lure more foreign tourists to the SAR (which also makes outbound travel for residents easier).
Here’s a breakdown of where you can currently fly internationally from Macao – without transiting. The list is correct at the time of writing but things are always changing, so do check the airport’s website for updated flight information.
Japan
- Osaka (Air Macau)
- Tokyo (Air Macau)
South Korea
- Seoul (Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Macau)
- Busan (Air Busan)
- Jeju (Jeju Air)
Malaysia
- Kuala Lumpur (Air Macau, Air Asia)
- Kota Kinabalu (AirAsia)
Philippines
- Manila (Cebu Pacific Air, Philippine Airlines, Philippines AirAsia)
Indonesia
- Jakarta (Air Macau)
Singapore
- Singapore (Scoot, Air Macau)
Thailand
- Bangkok (Thai AirAsia, Air Macau, Thai Lion Air, Air Macau)
Vietnam
- Hanoi (Air Macau)
- Da Nang (Air Macau)
