Flight frequency between the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland has been gradually coming back to a normal level, giving the SARS-inflicted aviation industry a light of recovery, announced Air Macao, the only aviation firm in the city, on Tuesday.
The company has resumed 65 flights with the Mainland since the beginning of July, which were suspended due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in April. The flight to Beijing was resumed on July 1 after a three-month long break, and the frequency increased to once a day beginning July 14.
Joy Gong, the company's PR and Advertising Manager, said that the company began on Tuesday to operate 134 round trips per week, or 74 percent of the total flights operated before the SARS attack.
Flights between Macao and Taipei resumed to eight round trips per day, compared with two flights a week during the SARS period. As Macao serves as the main transfer station for Taiwan passengersto go into the Mainland, the route linking the special administrative region to Taiwan is the company's most profitable line.
Seeing a poised revival the aviation business, Air Macao renteda new Airbus 319 earlier in July, which added the company's fleet to five Airbus planes. Enditem
(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2003)
