HONG KONG: Casino magnate Stanley Ho will expand his fleet of jet aircrafts in an effort to lure gamblers to Macau, his airline said Thursday, as competition to attract high-rollers to the city heats up.

Jet Asia, the aviation arm of Ho's conglomerate STDM, will increase its current fleet of three planes to ten, in order to provide an improved service to VIPs heading to the southern Chinese territory.

"Part of it, of course, is to do with competition," Jet Asia's Chief Executive Chuck Woods told AFP.

"But also it is part of our overall effort to develop better services for our gaming clients and in particular our high-end clients."

Jet Asia has ordered six new Hawker eight-seat jet aircraft and one executive airliner from an as-yet undecided manufacturer, the company said, adding the planes would start arriving in November.

The announcement comes in the face of increasing competition for Ho and his famous Lisboa casinos, in particular the giant new Venetian complex which is already jetting high-rollers into Macau and is even set to launch its own fleet of ferries from Hong Kong to the former Portuguese territory.

Ho, who for 40 years held a monopoly on gambling in the southern Chinese territory, has seen his market share of the business slide with the opening since 2004 of rival Las Vegas-style casinos. - AFP/ac