Published : 2025-12-08

On 8 December 1995, Macau International Airport was officially opened.

Then Vice President of China, Rong Yiren (榮毅仁), Portuguese President Mário Soares, Governor of Macao, Vasco Rocha Vieira, Portuguese Minister for Cabinet Affairs, António Vitorino, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Tian Zengpei (田曾佩), and others attended the inauguration ceremony and cut the ribbon.

Macao borders the Chinese Mainland to the north, faces Hong Kong to the east, and looks towards Hainan to the west. But before 1995, Macao's external transport was only by land and sea.

In March 1987, the Central People's Government and the Portuguese government signed a joint declaration in Beijing, making provisions for the construction of an airport in Macao.

Macau International Airport is located south of the city of Macao, between the two outlying islands of Taipa and Coloane. It is an "airport island" built on artificially reclaimed land, consisting mainly of three parts: the terminal area, two causeways, and the artificial runway, forming a "flank" located on the east side of Taipa.

The airport's total investment budget was as high as 7.3 billion Macao patacas; its designed passenger capacity was six million passengers per year, and it was the largest-scale project in Macao at the time.