Macau Air Transport Company
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | Cathay Pacific |
| Defunct | 1961 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; ownership transferred in 1960 and rebranded |
| Successor | Macau Air Transport Company (Hong Kong) Limited |
| Headquarters | Macau , China |
Area served | Macau, Hong Kong |
Key people | Roger Lobo, Stanley Ho (owners after 1960) |
| Products | Seaplane passenger and cargo services |
| Parent | Cathay Pacific (until 1960) |
Macau Air Transport Company (also known as Macao Air Transport Company) functioned as a subsidiary under Cathay Pacific, providing seaplane connections between Macau and Hong Kong from 1948 until 1961.
The airline was established in 1948 and operated two Consolidated PBY Catalina seaplanes, flying routes between the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal in Macau and Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong. One of its aircraft, named Miss Macao, was lost due to a hijacking incident.
In 1960, ownership transferred from Cathay Pacific to Roger Lobo and Stanley Ho, who rebranded the company as Macau Air Transport Company (Hong Kong) Limited. The opening of a new runway at Kai Tak Airport, along with evolving circumstances in Macau, resulted in the airline halting operations by October 1961. Although the company remained officially registered in Hong Kong until January 1964, all its aircraft were deregistered by 1967.
Fleet
Initially, MATCO operated two Canadian Vickers CBV-1A Canso seaplanes (previously designated OA-10A Catalina by the USAAF and later serving with USN and RCAF), which had been acquired by Cathay Pacific in 1946.
- VR-HDT – Known as Miss Macao, this aircraft crashed and was written off in 1948.
- VR-HDH – Purchased from the RCAF in 1946; subsequently sold to Trans Australia Airlines in 1962, retired from service in 1966, then utilized as a firefighting training platform until 1975; currently exhibited at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand.
Following the retirement of its Catalina seaplanes, MATCO transitioned to cargo operations and incorporated:
- VR-HFP – A Piaggio Aerospace P.136-L2 model, ordered in 1960, introduced into service in 1961, and remained stationed in Hong Kong until 1967.