Air Macao, the flagship airline in the special administrative region, logged a record monthly passenger throughput of 222,800 in April, the company said on Wednesday.

A press release issued by the airline said Air Macao recorded a gross net profit of 16.64 million patacas (US$2.08 million) in the first quarter.

Fei Hongjun, general manager of the airline, dues "the outstanding performance" of the company to the support from the central government and the flight travelers, according to the press release.

It said the airline has opened routes to the mainland cities of Hangzhou, Guiyang and Changsha earlier this year and will soon launch a new international route to Japan.

Air Macao handled 2.1 million passengers and 150,000 tons of airfreight in 2005, according to the statistics released earlier by the company.

The airline launched the debut flight in 1995.

(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2006)