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Air Macau Company Limited (simplified Chinese: 澳门航空; traditional Chinese: 澳門航空; pinyin: Àomén Hángkōng) is the flag carrier airline of and headquartered in Macau. The airline operates services to 12 destinations in Mainland China, as well as regional international services, from its hub at Macau International Airport.^[1]

History[link]

The airline was established on 13 September 1994, and began commercial operations on 9 November 1995, with a flight from Macau to Beijing and Shanghai (prior to 1995, there was no air service to Macau other than the helicopter service). One-aircraft service between Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei began on 8 December 1995. The first pure-freighter service was launched on 7 October 2002, between Taipei and Shenzhen via Macau.

Air Macau is owned by China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) (51%), TAP Portugal (20%), STDM (14%), EVA Air (5%), the government of Macau (5%) and Macau investors (5%) and employs 1,023 staff (at March 2007).^[1] Two companies controlled by Macau SAR's Chief Executive Edmund Ho have sold a combined 1.25 percent stake in financially troubled Air Macau to a unit of China flagship carrier Air China, Reuters reported during the week.

According to the report, the stake sale for an undisclosed sum was confirmed by sources at Air China, a unit of Air Macau's controlling shareholder - CNAC.^[2]

Corporate affairs[link]

The head office is currently in the Edifício CNAC (中航大厦 Zhòngháng Dàshà).^[3][4] Previously it was in the Edifício Tai Wah (大華大廈 Dàhuá Dàshà).^[5][6][7]

Destinations[link]

Fleet[link]

Air Macau Airbus A321 in Japan (2006)

The Air Macau passenger and cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft (at April 2012):^[8]

Retired fleet[link]

Two Boeing 727-100Fs were rented to provide air cargo service to Shenzhen and Taiwan from 2002 to 2006; both have returned to revenue service Transmile Air Services (and repainted from Air Macau livery). Both aircraft were replaced with two A300-600RFs owned by Air Macau.

Livery[link]

Although Air Macau serves as Macau's flag carrier, the Special Administrative Region of Macau flag has never appeared on any of its aircraft. Neither did the flag of Portugal appear on its aircraft prior 1999 handover.

Taiwan Strait[link]

More than 70% of Air Macau's revenue comes from transporting passengers across the Taiwan Strait to Macau. Every week, Air Macau has 72 round-trip flights scheduled between Macau and Taipei and 28 round-trip flights scheduled between Macau and Kaohsiung.

Air Macau offers a one-plane service for passengers traveling between Taiwan and Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, and other cities in the Chinese mainland. Although they must complete a brief transfer procedure in the Macau International Airport and wait for about 30 minutes with their carry-on luggage in the departure lobby, passengers can board the same plane once again and continue to their destination. Air Macau staff are also stationed to assist Taiwanese passengers in obtaining their PRC Entry Endorsement.

Macau Asia Express[link]

Macau Asia Express was a failed low-cost airline project, which was to be based in Macau and originally to be launched in 2007, offering scheduled flights mostly to China.^[1] It was founded on 24 January 2006 with an initial funding of $30 million. It was owned by Air Macau (51%) and ST-CNAC (CNAC and Shun Tak Holdings) (49%).^[1] The aircraft fleet would have consisted of 6 Airbus A320 short-medium haul jet aircraft, which was planned to be expanded to 15-20 aircraft over the first years in operation.^[9]

In November 2007, the Macau Daily News reported that Macau Asia Express was suffering funding problems, which led to a delay at the taking-over of the already ordered aircraft, and finally the revocal of the Air Operator's Certificate in 2008.^[10]

See also[link]

• Transportation in Macau

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Air Macau

• Official website (English)
• Air Macau Magazine inflight magazine

v t e Airlines of Macau Air Macau Viva Macau See also: Category:Airlines of the People's Republic of China Civil Aviation Authority of Macau

v t e Airlines of the People's Republic of China Authorities: Civil Aviation Administration of China Civil Aviation Department (Hong Kong) Civil Aviation Authority (Macau) Passenger Air China Air Macau2 Beijing Capital Airlines Chengdu Airlines China Express Airlines Cathay Pacific1 China Eastern Airlines China Flying Dragon Aviation China Southern Airlines China United Airlines Chongqing Airlines Dalian Airlines Dragonair1 East Star Airlines Grand China Air Grand China Express Air Hainan Airlines Hebei Airlines Henan Airlines Hong Kong Airlines1 Hong Kong Express Airways1 Jetstar Hong Kong1 Joy Air Juneyao Airlines Kunming Airlines Lucky Air Okay Airways Shandong Airlines Shanghai Airlines Shenzhen Airlines Sichuan Airlines Spring Airlines Tianjin Airlines Tibet Airlines West Air Xiamen Airlines Cargo Air China Cargo Air Hong Kong1 China Cargo Airlines China Postal Airlines Grandstar Cargo Great Wall Airlines Shanghai Airlines Cargo Shenzhen Donghai Airlines Yangtze River Express Airlines with footnotes are headquarted in Hong Kong1 or Macau2 Special Administrative Regions See also Defunct airlines of the People's Republic of China

Coordinates: 22°10′N 113°33′E / 22.167°N 113.55°E / 22.167; 113.55

Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China[1] 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區 Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China (Portuguese) Flag Emblem Anthem: March of the Volunteers 《義勇軍進行曲》 Marcha dos Voluntários Clockwise from top right: Ruins of St. Paul's; Casino Lisboa; St Joseph Seminary Church; Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge; A-Ma Temple; Guia Fortress; Macau Tower. Official language(s) Chinese, Portuguese[2] Spoken languages Cantonese, Portuguese, Macanese (Patuá) Writing systems Traditional Chinese, Latin alphabet Demonym Macanese Government Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China  -  Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On  -  President of the Court of Final Appeal Sam Hou Fai  -  President of the Legislative Assembly Lau Cheok Va Legislature Legislative Assembly Establishment  -  Portugal-administered trading post 1557   -  Portuguese colony 1 December 1887   -  Transfer of sovereignty to the PRC 20 December 1999  Area  -  Total 29.5 km2 (229th) 11.39 sq mi   -  Water (%) 0 Population  -  2010 (2nd qtr) estimate 544,600[3] (165th)  -  2001 census 435,235[4]   -  Density 18,568/km2 (1st) 48,092/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate  -  Total US$31.271 billion (99th)  -  Per capita US$59,451 (2nd) GDP (nominal) 2009 estimate  -  Total US$21.700 billion (94th)  -  Per capita US$39,800 (18th) HDI (2007) 0.944[5] (very high) (25th) Currency Macanese pataca (MOP$) (MOP) Time zone MST (UTC+8)  -  Summer (DST) not observed (UTC) Drives on the left ISO 3166 code MO Internet TLD .mo Calling code +853 Macau Chinese name Traditional Chinese 澳門 Simplified Chinese 澳门 Cantonese Jyutping ou3mun4*2 Cantonese Yale Oumùhn Hanyu Pinyin Àomén Literal meaning Bay gate Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Àu-mûn Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Àomén - IPA [ɑ̂ʊ̯mə̌n] Min - Hokkien POJ Ò-mn̂g - Min-dong BUC Ó̤-muòng Wu - Romanization au去men平 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping ou3mun4*2 - IPA [ʔōu mǔːn] - Yale Romanization Oumùhn Macao Special Administrative Region Traditional Chinese 澳門特別行政區 (or 澳門特區) Simplified Chinese 澳门特别行政区 (or 澳门特区) Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Àu-mûn Thi̍t-phe̍t Hàng-tsṳn-khî Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Àomén Tèbié Xíngzhèngqū (Àomén Tèqū) Min - Hokkien POJ Ò-mn̂g Te̍k-pia̍t Hêng-chèng-khu Wu - Romanization au去men平 deh入bih入 ghan平tsen去chiu平 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping Ou3mun4*2 Dak6bit6 Hang4zing3 Keoi1 Portuguese name Portuguese Região Administrativa Especial de Macau for "Macau Special Administrative Region" This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Macau (Chinese: 澳門), also spelled Macao ( /məˈkaʊ/), is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong-Kong which is to the east, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south.^[6]

The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing.

Macau is a former Portuguese colony, and is both the first and last European colony in China.^[7][8] Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.^[9] Macau was first lent by the Chinese empire as a trading port in the 16th century, and had to administer the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty. In 1887, Macau became a colony of the Portuguese empire and its sovereignty transferred to the Portuguese.

Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the PRC's Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. Macau participates in many international organizations and events that do not require members to possess national sovereignty.^[9][10] According to The World Factbook, Macau has the second highest life expectancy in the world.^[11]

Etymology[link]

Before the Portuguese settlement in the early 16th century, Macau was known as Haojing (濠鏡, literally "Oyster Mirror") or Jinghai (鏡海, literally "Mirror Sea").^[12] The name Macau is thought to be derived from the A-Ma Temple (Chinese: 媽閣廟; Mandarin Pinyin: Māgé Miào; Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3 Miu6), a temple built in 1448 dedicated to Matsu – the goddess of seafarers and fishermen. It is said that when the Portuguese sailors landed at the coast just outside the temple and asked the name of the place, the natives replied "媽閣" (Mandarin Pinyin: Māgé; Jyutping: Maa1 Gok3). The Portuguese then named the peninsula "Macau".^[13] The present Chinese name (澳門, Àomén) means "Inlet Gates".

History[link]

Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, by George Chinnery (1774–1852). The cathedral was built in 1602 and destroyed by fire in 1835. Only the southern stone façade remains today.

Macau, c. 1870

The history of Macau is traced back to the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), when the region now called Macau came under the jurisdiction of Panyu county, in Nanhai prefecture (present day Guangdong).^[12] The first recorded inhabitants of the area were people seeking refuge in Macau from invading Mongols during the Southern Song Dynasty.^[14] Under the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD), fishermen migrated to Macau from Guangdong and Fujian provinces.

Flag of the Government of Portuguese Macau (1976–1999)

Macau did not develop as a major settlement until the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century.^[15] In 1535, Portuguese traders obtained the rights to anchor ships in Macau's harbours and to carry out trading activities, though not the right to stay onshore.^[16] Around 1552–1553, they obtained temporary permission to erect storage sheds onshore, in order to dry out goods drenched by sea water;^[17] they soon built rudimentary stone houses around the area now called Nam Van. In 1557, the Portuguese established a permanent settlement in Macau, paying an annual rent of 500 taels ( 20 kilograms / 44 pounds ) of silver.^[17] The Portuguese continued to pay an annual tribute up to 1863 in order to stay in Macau.^[18]

In 1564, Portugal commanded the trade of India, Japan, and China, though the Portuguese pride was deeply shocked at the supreme indifference with which the Chinese treated them. The senate of Macao complained to the viceroy of Goa, of the contempt with which the Chinese authorities treated them, confessing however that “it was owing more to the Portuguese themselves than to the Chinese”. The Chinese were obliged to restrict the commerce of Portugal to the port of Macao, in 1631.^[19]

During the 17th century some 5,000 slaves lived in Macao, in addition to 2,000 Portuguese and 20,000 Chinese.^[20][21][22]

As more Portuguese settled in Macau to engage in trading, they made demands for self-administration; but this was not achieved until the 1840s.^[23] In 1576, Pope Gregory XIII established the Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau.^[24] In 1583, the Portuguese in Macau were permitted to form a Senate to handle various issues concerning their social and economic affairs under strict supervision of the Chinese authority,^[25] but there was no transfer of sovereignty.^[14]

Macau prospered as a port but was the target of repeated failed attempts^[26] by the Dutch to conquer it in the 17th century. On June 24, 1622, the Dutch attacked Macau in the Battle of Macau, expecting to turn it into a Dutch possession after its conquest. The Portuguese repulsed their attack and the Dutch never tried to conquer Macau. The majority of the defenders were Africans slaves, with only a few Portuguese soldiers and priests. Captain Kornelis Reyerszoon was commander of the 800 Dutch strong invasion force.^{[27][28][29][30]}

The Dutch Governor Jan Coen said after the defeat that "The slaves of the Portuguese at Macao served them so well and faithfully, that it was they who defeated and drove away our people there last year", and "Our people saw very few Portuguese" during the battle.^{[31][32][33][34]}

Following the Opium War (1839–42), Portugal occupied Taipa and Coloane in 1851 and 1864 respectively. On 1 December 1887, the Qing and Portuguese governments signed the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Amity and Commerce, under which China ceded the right of "perpetual occupation and government of Macau by Portugal" in compliance with the statements of the Protocol of Lisbon. In return, Macau Government would cooperate with Hong Kong's smuggle of Indian opium and China would be able to increase profits through customs taxes. Portugal was also obliged "never to alienate Macau without previous agreement with China", therefore ensuring that negotiation between Portugal and France (regarding a possible exchange of Macau and Portuguese Guinea with the French Congo) or with other countries would not go forward – so that the British commercial interests would be secured; Macau officially became a territory under Portuguese administration.^[14]

In 1928, after the Qing Dynasty had been overthrown following the Xinhai Revolution, the Kuomintang (KMT) government officially notified Portugal that it was abrogating the Treaty of Amity and Commerce;^[35] the two powers signed a new Sino-Portuguese Friendship and Trade Treaty in place of the abrogated treaty. Making only a few provisions concerning tariff principles and matters relating to business affairs, the new treaty did not alter the sovereignty of Macau and Portuguese government of Macau remained unchanged.^[36]

In the Second World War, unlike in the case of Portuguese Timor which was occupied by the Japanese in 1942 along with Dutch Timor, the Japanese respected Portuguese neutrality in Macau, but only up to a point. As such, Macau enjoyed a brief period of economic prosperity as the only neutral port in South China, after the Japanese had occupied Guangzhou (Canton) and Hong Kong. In August 1943, Japanese troops seized the British steamer Sian in Macao and killed about 20 guards. The next month they demanded the installation of Japanese "advisors" under the alternative of military occupation. The result was that a virtual Japanese protectorate was created over Macau.

When it was discovered that neutral Macau was planning to sell aviation fuel to Japan, aircraft from the USS Enterprise bombed and strafed the hangar of the Naval Aviation Centre on 16 January 1945 to destroy the fuel. American air raids on targets in Macau were also made on 25 February and 11 June 1945. Following Portuguese government protest, in 1950 the United States paid US$20,255,952 to the government of Portugal.^[37] Japanese domination ended in August 1945.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Beijing government declared the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Amity and Commerce invalid as an “unequal treaty” imposed by foreigners on China. However, Beijing was not ready to settle the treaty question, leaving the maintenance of “the status quo” until a more appropriate time.^[38]

Influenced by the Cultural Revolution in mainland China and by general dissatisfaction with Portuguese government, riots broke out in Macau in 1966. In the most serious, the so-called 12-3 incident, 6 people were killed and more than 200 people were injured.^[39][40] On 28 January 1967, the Portuguese government issued a formal apology.

Shortly after the overthrow of the Portuguese dictatorship in 1974 in Lisbon, the new Portuguese government determined it would relinquish all its overseas possessions. In 1976, Lisbon redefined Macau as a "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration" and granted it a large measure of administrative, financial, and economic autonomy. Three years later, Portugal and China agreed to regard Macau as "a Chinese territory under (temporary) Portuguese administration".^[14][41] The Chinese and Portuguese governments commenced negotiations on the question of Macau in June 1986. The two signed a Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration the next year, making Macau a special administrative region (SAR) of China.^[42] The Chinese government assumed formal sovereignty over Macau on 20 December 1999.^[43] The economy since then has continued to prosper with the sustained growth of tourism from mainland China and the construction of new casinos.

Government and politics[link]

Headquarters of the Government of Macau, previously the Governor's House until 1999.

The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, Macau's constitution promulgated by China's National People's Congress in 1993, specify that Macau's social and economic system, lifestyle, rights, and freedoms are to remain unchanged for at least 50 years after the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1999.^[9] Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Macau enjoys a high degree of autonomy in all areas except in defence and foreign affairs.^[9] Macau officials, rather than PRC officials, run Macau through the exercise of separate executive, legislative, and judicial powers, as well as the right to final adjudication.^[44] Macau maintains its own separate currency, customs territory, immigration and border controls, and police force.^[45][46]

Executive[link]

The government in Macau is headed by the chief executive, who is appointed by the central government upon the recommendation of an election committee, whose three hundred members are nominated by corporate and community bodies. The recommendation is made by an election within the committee.^[47] The chief executive's cabinet is made up of five policy secretaries and is advised by the Executive Council that has between seven and eleven members.^[48] Edmund Ho Hau Wah, a community leader and former banker, was the first chief executive of the Macau SAR, replacing General Vasco Rocha Vieira at midnight on 20 December 1999. Fernando Chui Sai On is the current Chief Executive.^[49] The chief executive and the cabinet have their offices in the Macau Government Headquarters, located in the former area of the St. Lawrence Parish.

Legislature[link]

Office building of the Legislative Assembly of Macau.

The legislative organ of the territory is the Legislative Assembly, a 29-member body comprising 12 directly elected members, ten indirectly elected members representing functional constituencies and seven members appointed by the chief executive.^[50] Any permanent residents at or over 18 years of age are eligible to vote in direct elections.^[51] Indirect election is limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" and a 300-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies.^[52]

Judiciary[link]

The original framework of the legal system, based largely on Portuguese law or Portuguese civil law system, was preserved after 1999. The territory has its own independent judicial system with a high court. Judges are selected by a committee and appointed by the chief executive. Foreign judges may serve on the courts.^[53]

Macau has a three-tier court system: the Court of the First Instance, the Court of the Second Instance and the Court of Final Appeal.^[54] In February 2009, the Legislative Assembly passed a security bill based on the withdrawn security legislation previously introduced in Hong Kong.^[55] Democracy advocates feared that the bill's excessively broad scope could lead to abuses, a concern which has been heightened after a number of prominent supporters of democracy in Hong Kong were denied entry into Macau in the run-up to the bill's passage.^[56]

Military[link]

Under Portuguese rule, Macau often served as an expeditionary base to Japan and other regions of East Asia from the 16th century onwards, while maintaining a strong garrison mainly to repel Dutch and mainland Chinese attacks. However since the allied British settled Hong Kong, the need for a strong military presence in Macau dimmed and it became very limited and ceased in 1974. In 1999, upon handover to the PRC, a substantial garrison of the People's Liberation Army was established in the city itself, with a large portion of the forces stationed in neighbouring Zhuhai as well.

Geography[link]

The map of Macau, showing Macau Peninsula, Cotai, Taipa and Coloane.

Landscape of Penha Hill in Macau.

Macau viewed from Macau Museum.

Macau is situated 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of Hong Kong and 145 kilometres (90 mi) from Guangzhou. It also has 41 kilometres (25 mi) of coastline, yet only 310 metres (1,000 ft) of land border with Guangdong.^[6][57] It consists of the Macau Peninsula itself and the islands of Taipa and Coloane, which are now connected by landfill forming the Cotai Strip. The peninsula is formed by the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River) estuary on the east and the Xi Jiang (West River) on the west.^[57] It borders the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in mainland China. The main border crossing between Macau and China is known as the Portas do Cerco (Barrier Gate) on the Macau side, and the Gongbei Port of Entry on the Zhuhai side.^[58]

Macau Peninsula was originally an island, but a connecting sandbar gradually turned into a narrow isthmus, thus changing Macau into a peninsula. Land reclamation in the 17th century transformed Macau into a peninsula with generally flat terrain, though numerous steep hills still mark the original land mass.^[57] Alto de Coloane is the highest point in Macau, with an altitude of 170.6 metres (559.7 ft).^[6] With a dense urban environment, Macau has no arable land, pastures, forest, or woodland.

Climate[link]

Macau has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with average relative humidity between 75% and 90%.^[59] Similar to much of South China, seasonal climate is greatly influenced by the monsoons, and differences in temperature and humidity between summer and winter are noticeable, though not as great as inland China. The average annual temperature of Macau is 22.7 °C (72.9 °F).^[60] July is the warmest month, with average temperature being 28.9 °C (84.0 °F). The coolest month is January, with a mean temperature of 15.0 °C (59.0 °F).^[59]

Located on China's southern coast, Macau has ample rainfall, with average annual precipitation being 2,120 millimetres (83 in). However, winter is mostly dry due to the influence of the vast Siberian High affecting much of East Asia. Autumn in Macau, from October to November, is sunny and still pleasantly warm with low humidity. Winter (December to early March) is generally mild with temperature above 10°C most of the time, although it could also drop to below 5°C at times. Humidity starts to increase from late March. Summer is very warm to hot (often rising above 30 °C (86 °F) at daytime). The hot weather is often followed by heavy rain, thunderstorms and occasional typhoons.^[59]