Plans for a direct air service between Macao and Portugal are looking increasingly shaky after the Macao government cast doubts over its commercial viability. 

In a 2025 suggestions, complaints and objections document published earlier this year, Macao’s Civil Aviation Authority (known by its Portuguese initials AACM) noted that the launch of such a long-haul direct flight would pose “significant challenges.”

In light of business considerations such as cost-effectiveness and passenger market demand, as well as the “current scale” of Macao’s aviation sector, the government said a “more suitable approach” would be to leverage connecting services in other parts of Asia. 

The government pointed out that neighbouring locations such as Beijing, Chengdu, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taiwan could help to facilitate travel by residents and visitors to other global destinations, allowing them to seamlessly transit using the baggage check service for a single ticket. 

Rather than focusing on developing long-haul flights from Macao, the authorities proposed establishing further links between the SAR’s short-haul routes and long-haul routes in other destinations. 

It noted that the Macao International Airport operator was already working towards the goal of “expanding the destination network of Macao” through the promotion of transfer and connecting services. 

[See more: Two Hilton hotels open at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport Terminal 3]

The Macao government’s concerns over the economic viability of a direct Macao-Lisbon flight is not unwarranted, as Macao operated such an air link between 1996 and 1998, which resulted in a loss of roughly 200 million patacas (US$24.88 million). 

Still, there have been calls for the service to resume in recent years, as Portugal formally administered Macao for over four centuries, with both parties continuing to maintain strong ties.

Earlier this year, a meeting between the Portuguese consul general in Macao and Hong Kong, Alexandre Leitão, and the CEO of Hong Kong International Airport, Vivian Cheung, ignited speculation that Portugal had given up on a direct flight with Macao in favour of a long-haul air link with Hong Kong. 

A report by the social media account, Luso-Macau, listed the various motivators behind the Hong Kong-LIsbon route, including Hong Kong’s push for more direct European services and the future opening of the Lisbon Luís de Camões Airport in Alcohete. 

The Hong Kong Airport Authority has yet to confirm plans for a Hong Kong-Lisbon flight, although its spokesperson told TDM that the city was keen to establish new routes.