The Macau Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) said in a statement on Saturday that the central government has greenlighted the Macau government’s land reclamation project so that it can go ahead with the long-planned expansion of the local airport.
According to an AACM statement on Saturday, Macau’s civil aviation regulator has extended its “since gratitude” to the central government for approving the project.
The statement pointed out that the local government has received the central government’s official approval document. It did not say when the document was received.
The statement quoted AACM President Simon Chan Weng Hong as expressing his gratitude to the various ministries in Beijing involved in the approval process, as well as the State Council Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) and the Macau-based Central People’s Government Liaison Office. The statement underlined that the Macau International Airport Master Plan was jointly prepared by AACM and Macau International Airport Company Limited (CAM), pointing out that the local government approved the plan in 2017.
According to the statement, the land reclamation project involves a) reclaiming the coastal waters between the runway and the two taxiways to expand the capacity of the apron in order to build more aircraft stands and build fast lanes for taxiing; b) maintaining the present runway length but extending the runway end safety areas in order to meet the new safety standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO); c) creating a 95-metre-wide water channel between the runway and the apron.
The total land reclamation area will exceed 1.29 square kilometres, the statement said, adding that once the expansion project is concluded, the airport’s handling capacity will be raised to 15 million passengers per year.
The airport’s runway has a length of 3,360 metres, according to official data.
Meanwhile, the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) said in a separate statement on Saturday that Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has expressed his “sincere gratitude” to the central government “for having grated approval for expansion of the Macau International Airport and related land reclamation.
The GCS statement quoted Ho as saying that the central government’s green light was an “encouraging step”, adding the local government “hoped that improvement to the airport infrastructure and the further opening-up of the [local] air transport market would facilitate the recovery and development of the aviation industry locally, and help create a more sustainable path for Macau’s civil aviation sector”.
The statement underlined that the local government submitted a formal request in August 2021 to the central government concerning expansion of the airport and related land reclamation.
Ho also said, according to the statement, that the airport expansion project and related land reclamation “was a step conducive to Macau further aligning itself with the nation’s overall national development, and participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, thus reinforcing the basis for the city’s economic recovery and appropriate economic diversification.”
In a statement at the weekend, CAM also expressed its “sincere gratitude” to the central government for approving the airport expansion and related reclamation projects. The Macau government is CAM’s majority control shareholder.
Macau’s single-runway airport opened in November 1995.
Due to the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport only recorded 1.14 million passengers last year.
This undated handout photo shows Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (right) receiving the State Council’s approval documents concerning the expansion of the local airport and related land reclamation from the deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, Huang Liuquan. The caption provided by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) did not mention where and when the photo was taken. – Photo: GCS
Source: AACM
