Air Macau has announced that the first wide-body aircraft to bne introduced to its fleet this year has arrived in Macau.

The A330-300 landed in Macau from Hangzhou on Sunday morning and flew to Beijing that afternoon, having been leased from Air China.

Air Macau said it plans to introduce a second wide-body aircraft in the second half of this year to operate medium- and long-haul routes, and to add Middle East destinations as part of efforts to expand its European network.

The company first revealed in January that it would introduce two wide-body aircraft this year to complement the development of Macaus aviation industry.

Air Macau introduced its first wide-body aircraft, the A300-600R wide-body aircraft, in 2006 after which time it launched the Taipei-Macau-Shanghai route. However, in 2007 the aircraft was converted into a freighter.

There are currently 26 airlines operating out of Macau International Airport, with routes covering 23 destinations in mainland China, three destinations in Taiwan and 17 international destinations. The passenger market distribution is 46% from mainland China, 16% from Taiwan and 38% from international markets.

Macau International Airport Corporation Limited (CAM) said recently that it would invest more resources into creating incentives for airlines to operate international and medium- and long-haul direct routes.

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Air Macau welcomes first of two wide-body aircrafts under plan to expand international network - Inside Asian Gaming