Macau, July 14, 2025 (Lusa) - A Macau lawmaker on Monday called for the establishment of a direct air link between the semi-autonomous Chinese region and Lisbon to promote business between Portuguese-speaking countries and Europe.
The "opening of direct flights between Macau and Lisbon is the basis of a platform" that serves to connect "Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa" said Ip Sio Kai at a session of the Legislative Assembly.
The establishment of this new route “will contribute to further promoting trade, tourism and the flow of people between Macau and European countries, reinforcing Macau’s substantive role as a link to the world,” he added.
In October last year, Macau International Airport offered 40 regular direct routes to mainland China and other regions of Asia, said Ip, noting that the airport plans to introduce “direct medium and long-haul flights to Europe and Portuguese-speaking countries”.
“This enhances, to a certain extent, Macau’s role as a link in the international network and its contribution and influence as a platform for face-to-face interaction between these countries,” explained the deputy from the indirectly elected group.
The lack of direct flights to Lisbon, Ip continued, means that residents and visitors to Macau must travel via other cities such as Hong Kong, Dubai, Istanbul or Shanghai, which “limits the promotion of normalisation of Sino-Portuguese commercial and business activities and reduces the attraction of international tourists to Macau”.
Ip Sio Kai suggested that the government should grant subsidies for the opening of long-haul flights and launch promotions for accommodation, transport and cultural activities to attract tourists to Macau.
Other MPs had previously questioned the government about new routes connecting the Chinese region to Europe. In 2023, after the legislature approved the civil aviation law in general terms, Portuguese MP José Pereira Coutinho also wanted to know more about the authorities’ plans.
“How can someone travel directly from Europe to Macau? The last direct flight from Europe to Macau took place 30 years ago,” he asked.
TAP operated twice-weekly flights between Lisbon and Macau in the 1990s, and the airline suspended the service on 31 October 1998 after accumulating losses of around 200 million patacas (€21.1 million).
JW/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
