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The Macao International Airport has awarded the title of "Best Client" for 2001 to Shanghai Airlines after overall assessment on capacities and services of a dozen air carriers using the port.

The Shanghai£­based air carrier was the first£­ever winner despite the title being established in November 1995, when the airport went into operation, partly due to stringent standards set for the "Best Client", said sources from the airport.

Shanghai Airlines swapped larger aircraft for Boeing£­737 airliners and increased the number of flights to three round trips per day on the Macao£­Shanghai route, which was opened in August 1998, to cater to growing Taiwan passengers who traveled between China's mainland and Taiwan via Macao.

Shanghai Airlines, ranking the 6th among Chinese air carriers by turnover, saw its registered capital soaring from 14.1 million U.S. dollars to 78.3 million U.S. dollars in 16 years. It is one of the few Chinese aviation companies with a membership of the International Air Transport Association £¨IATA£©.

The Macao International Airport recorded brisk business in 2001,with passengers handled jumping 17 percent year on year to 3.8 million and cargoes up 12 percent to 76,100 tons, figures show.

It was built on a patch of land reclaimed from the sea, consisting of a runway, two bridge approaches and a parking area, with an investment of more than one billion U.S. dollars.