Macau International Airport operator CAM held a reception yesterday marking the 30th anniversary of the airport’s operation, where Ma Iao Hang, the chairman of CAM’s board of directors, pledged the airport’s commitment to making greater contributions to the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the nation’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The local airport in Taipa officially opened on December 8, 1995, when Macau was still under temporary Portuguese administration.
The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) was established on December 20, 1999.
The reception hosted by local airport operator, Macau International Airport Company Limited, was held at MGM COTAI yesterday afternoon.
Delivering a speech during yesterday’s reception, Ma noted that the airport officially commenced operation in 1995 in the presence of state leaders from China and Portugal, marking a significant milestone in the run-up to the MSAR’s implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and fulfilling the aspirations of “countless” Macau residents for civil aviation services, while also demonstrating the central government’s unwavering support for Macau’s long-term prosperity and stability.
Over the past three decades, Ma said, the airport has adhered to the principles of “Safety, Efficiency and Effectiveness”, continuously optimising its facilities and service quality while vigorously integrating its development into the nation’s overall development and sustainable development strategies, reflecting its commitment to social responsibility and its determination to strengthen its international image.
Looking ahead, Ma said, the Macau International Airport will, guided by a deep sense of patriotism and dedication to Macau, vigorously participate in the GBA’s development and the BRI, and closely align with the MSAR government’s strategic plans to develop Macau into a world-class World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
Also delivering a speech during yesterday’s reception, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man said that since its opening in 1995, the airport has consistently achieved new milestones in the number of passengers and cargo volume, while continuously improving its service quality and operational efficiency, adding that the airport has become an important engine to promote Macau’s socioeconomic development.
Tam said that the airport is not only a transport infrastructure but also a strategic asset for advancing Macau’s appropriate economic diversification and its integration into the nation’s overall development, showcasing Macau’s role as an important gateway for regional integration and international cooperation.
Tam underlined that the local government is advancing the planning and development of the Macau International Aviation Hub for the Pearl River West Bank, while CAM’s airport reclamation and expansion project and its upstream cargo terminal project in Hengqin are underway. These efforts, combined with deepening cooperation between Macau and Zhuhai’s airports, will create seamless logistics and travel options between Macau and Hengqin, further enhancing Macau’s competitiveness as a regional aviation hub, the policy secretary said.
Also delivering a speech during yesterday’s reception, Ma Bing, a deputy administrator of the central government’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), noted that over the past three decades, with the central government’s strong support, Macau’s civil aviation sector has flourished, serving as a vivid example of the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle in the field of civil aviation.
Ma noted that in the 1990s, the central government strategically supported the construction of Macau International Airport, with CAAC dispatching over 200 experts to participate in its planning, construction and operation, many of whom subsequently remained in Macau to pursue their career development and became industry leaders.
Ma stressed that since Macau’s return to the motherland on December 20, 1999, CAAC has been consistently supporting the MSAR in managing civil aviation affairs in accordance with the MSAR Basic Law, deepening cooperation in safety, flight standards, air traffic control, and talent development, thereby laying a solid foundation for Macau’s civil aviation industry.
Ma underlined that CAAC will continue to support the high-quality development of Macau’s civil aviation industry, deepen mainland-Macau cooperation, and promote the coordinated development of civil aviation in the GBA.
Ma urged Macau’s civil aviation sector to seize opportunities, leverage Macau’s unique advantages of being “backed by the motherland and connected to the world”, vigorously integrate into the nation’s overall development, and embark on the next glorious 30-year journey.
CAM Chairman Ma Iao Hang (from left to right), Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man, and Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Deputy Administrator Ma Bing address yesterday’s reception at MGM COTAI. – Photo: CAM
A lion dance performance takes place during yesterday’s reception marking the 30th anniversary of the local airport’s operation. – Photo: Tony Wong
