The Macau International Airport will expand the parking area for private jets and small planes and build a transport hub complex at Pac On, according to the draft of the masterplan that was disclosed on Thursday by the Macau Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) to a selected group of local media representatives.

The 3.2 million patacas development plan commissioned to ADP Ingenierie -- a subsidiary of the Aeroports de Paris Group -- suggests the airport expansion should be divided into three phases.

In the first two phases and according to the study's forecasts, the number of parking spots for private jets should increase to 38, as the number of large inbound aircraft has been low.

In phase three of development, the plan suggests the increasing of parking spots for small planes and budget airlines to 43. Currently, the airport provides a parking area for small-sized aircraft with 24 spots.

The construction of a transport hub at Pac On has also been suggested to provide a transport interchange service similar to Hong Kong for inbound ferry passengers.

With this new facility the airport will be directly connected to the new Maritime Ferry Terminal in Taipa and inbound ferry passengers will have the option to go direct to the airport without going through immigration.

For this to be accomplished, the plan says the airport's fuel storage area currently right next to the Pac On Ferry Terminal will need to be relocated.

Overall, the plan proposes four options for the development of the infrastructure, said AACM. However, the president of the bureau, Simon Chan, has not disclosed details of the budget of the project, only saying that it will be announced late next month.

According to the development plan report, with the expansion project, the first phase of expansion is to meet a volume of 5.6 million passengers in 2015, the second phase will be 7 million in 2020, upgrading to 11 million in 2030 and finally 15 million in 2039.

On busy days, the plan also estimates 1,100 departing passengers per hour and 1,000 arrivals by 2015. The figure is expected to grow to 1,500 inbound and 1,700 outbound passenger per hour by 2030, and 1,800 and 2,000 by 2039.

Annual cargo traffic is expected to grow from 70,000 tonnes in 2015 to 200,000 in 2039.

The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a provider of aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services, had published a report saying that Macau's airport could face "more serious challenges" this year.

Calling it a "perfect storm" of external events and strategic shifts in the industry, the aviation think thank said in addition to the continuous rise in fuel costs, the local aviation industry "will feel the impact of the earthquake and nuclear crisis in Japan, inflation pressures and the expiry of an airport management services contract and other sub-concessionaires".

The government meanwhile had stressed the need for the airport to be repositioned and to create a new long-term plan, especially considering the regional cooperation for the development of the Pearl River Delta region.

"It's obvious that regional integration will bring new opportunities as well as challenges. The goal is to develop the whole region together with high accessibility by building a multi-airport system," had said Chan in an interview with MDTimes.