The Macao International Airport (MIA) recorded 1.07 million passengers in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year rise of 7 percent, the airport announced on Thursday.

A statement issued by the airport said the MIA handled a cargo throughput of 53,908 metric tons in the quarter, a year-on-year increase of 12 percent.

The airport handled 58 tons of mail in the quarter, up 37 percent over the same period of 2005, said the statement.

It added that the airport logged 11,945 take-offs and touch- downs in the first three months, a year-on-year rise of 11 percent.

The number of take-offs and touch-downs hiked to 174 on March 31, a record high since the airport opened in 1995.

The Macao International Airport Company, a Sino-Portuguese joint venture, manages the airport, with the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region holding 55.4 percent of the shares.

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