Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao held air traffic management high-level meeting in Macao

The “Civil Aviation Air Traffic Management High-Level Meeting between Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and Airspace and Flow Management Technical Group Meeting for 2025" was held in Macao on 17 September 2025. The meeting brought together civil aviation authorities' leaders and industry representatives from the three regions to discuss deepening the collaborative management and development of the airspace in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The civil aviation authorities of Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao hold annual meetings to continually deepen technical cooperation, jointly exploring ways to improve flow management efficiency and optimize control operation procedures. Currently, Macao has reached consensus with Central and Southern China Air Traffic Control Bureau and Zhuhai Approach Control Center, clearly defining three new visual flight control transfer points to the west of Macao. This helps improve the efficiency and safety of cross-border helicopter services on the western bank of the Pearl River Delta Region and provides greater flexibility for helicopter operations in Macao. Additionally, experts from the three parties have used big data for years to simulate and evaluate the airspace planning model of the Greater Bay Area. The assessment report provides valuable insights for medium- and long-term regional airspace planning and implementation.

The meeting also reviewed optimization arrangements for the Greater Bay Area flow management coordination mechanism, including operational tests for potential large-scale weather rerouting in the area, aiming to enhance overall operational efficiency.

Moreover, with support from the Air Traffic Management Bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Macau International Airport has preliminarily completed connection to the national flow management platform. This development allows Macau International Airport to access real-time flow management information and respond promptly when congestion or flow control occurs in Mainland airspace, ensuring smooth flight operations and strengthening regional cooperation in air transport in the Greater Bay Area. At the meeting, the Macao delegation also introduced progress in the airport expansion project, which will support the creation of international integrated tourism and cultural districts in Macao.

In line with the popularization of unmanned aircraft technology and the national goal to develop the low-altitude economy, the three parties also discussed coordinated regulation of unmanned aircraft and traditional civil aviation; the three parties also shared the challenges encountered in this aspect.

In the closing remarks and the conclusion session, the President of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR, Pun Wa Kin, emphasized the importance of close cooperation among the Mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao in air traffic management. Pun Wa Kin said Macao looks forward to further enhancing exchanges and cooperation with the Mainland and Hong Kong in areas such as airspace optimization, flow management technology, new technology applications, and low-altitude airspace management to jointly promote the high-quality, efficient, and sustainable development of the civil aviation industry in the Greater Bay Area.

The delegations of the three parties were respectively led by the Director-General of the Air Traffic Management Bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Miao Xuan, the President of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR, Pun Wa Kin, and the Director-General of the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong SAR, Liu Chi-yung. The meeting attendees were composed of technical officials from the civil aviation authorities and representatives from air traffic management service provider.

The “Civil Aviation Air Traffic Management High-Level Meeting between Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and Airspace and Flow Management Technical Group Meeting for 2025” was held in Macao on 17 September 2025, convening regularly to discuss deepening technical cooperation and jointly exploring ways to improve flow management efficiency and optimize control operation procedures.