Air Macao, the flag-ship air carrier in the special administrative region, planned to open 15 flights in March linking with European destinations including London, Paris and Frankfurt, local media reported Wednesday.

Macao Post Daily quoted Fei Hongjun, chief executive officer of the airline, as saying that Air Macao has clinched an agreement with Thai Airway, under which Air Macao ticket holders will be able to make transit in Bangkok to Europe.

Air Macao, which launched the debut commercial flight in 1995, counts its business mainly on semi-direct flights between the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan province.

The airline logged a record operating revenue of 2.4 billion patacas (US$300 million) in 2005, when it handled 2.1 million passengers and 150,000 tons of cargo, serving 18 destinations across Asia.

(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2006)