Air Macau has replaced its Singaporean chief executive with a senior aviation official from China in a move underlining the growing Chinese dominance of the regional carrier.
Li Ke Li, of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), will assume the management role at the airline from the end of this month or the beginning of next month, sources say.
Amid little fanfare, existing Air Macau chief executive Ng Kian-wah departed the helm of the enclave's flag-carrier in December to return to Singapore Airlines.
The carrier's deputy chairman, Zhou Yunda, is serving as acting chief executive until Mr Li's arrival.
Mr Ng was one of a handful of Singaporean officials who joined the airline in 1995 after requests from a subsidiary of CAAC, China National Aviation Corp (CNAC) - which has a 51 per cent stake in Air Macau.
He was appointed to head the Portuguese territory's airline after a series of problems before its launch in November 1995 - including the departures of senior executives.