Macau International Airport Company Limited (CAM) has announced a new relief policy that will see landing and take-off fees reduced for a three-month period in order to alleviate pressure on airlines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The reduced fees, largely back-dated, will apply from 1 February to 30 April 2020 for qualified airlines, with the relief amount applied totaling around MOP$19 million (US$2.4 million).
CAM said in a statement that the aim was to “encourage the airlines to continue providing air transportation services and to express our support for the resumption of flights in the future.”
The company recently revealed it was expecting less than 10 flight movements per day – fewer than 300 throughout the month – in April, having seen daily movements drop to below 35 per day or 1,050 total for the month of March.
By comparison, Macau International Airport handled 6,343 flight movements at almost 205 per day in March 2019 and 6,462 at 215 per day last April. More than 9.6 million people either arrived into or departed from Macau via the airport in 2019.
“It is hoped that under the current severe operating environment, we will be able to overcome the difficult times with airlines,” CAM said.
Landing fees currently range from as low as MOP$785 per landing to as high as MOP$13,245 depending on the weight of the plane and frequency of landings.
