The gloves are off. Macau airport has thrown down the gauntlet to Kai Tak, with the announcement that it will start operating jetfoil services direct to Hong Kong for SAR-bound passengers later this summer.
The announcement comes on the back of steadily growing passenger and cargo figures at Macau airport, although many Macau residents believe it could do better.
A spokesman for Macau airport said it was not competing with Kai Tak.
However, the new Expresslink service which will start as a pilot scheme in July is intended to eat into Kai Tak's passenger business. The scheme will be officially launched in August.
Under Expresslink, Hong Kong-bound passengers arriving at Macau will be treated as transit passengers. After purchasing jetfoil tickets in the airport's transit area, they will be bussed to jetfoils at the Macau ferry terminal. The passengers will receive a special in/out stamp at Macau immigration, which will be faster than the normal passport checking procedure. At the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal, passengers will go through immigration, baggage claim and customs in the normal way.
The passengers' baggage will be taken to Hong Kong from the airport by the Macau airport authorities on their behalf.
Although the journey time from Macau airport into Hong Kong is considerably longer than from Kai Tak, the Macau authorities are hoping that it will be as fast as from Chek Lap Kok and more convenient. Sociedade do Aeroporto Internacional de Macau spokesman, Simon Jones, said it will take travellers far longer to get through immigration and customs at Chek Lap Kok than at Macau simply because it is so much larger and busier.