A Turkish Airlines Airbus A350-941 comes in to land at Heathrow Airport in west London on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS : AFP)
PHNOM PENH – Two international air routes to Cambodia will launch this year, with Emirates starting in June and Turkish Airlines in December.
The expansion of the air network will benefit the country’s tourism industry.
From June 3, Siem Reap will join two new destinations in the Emirates network — Shenzhen and Danang — with a thrice-weekly service from Dubai via Bangkok.
It will be the airline’s second destination in Cambodia, after Phnom Penh.
The Dubai- Siem Reap route opens new opportunities for Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates to develop relations. Both have seen growth in economic and trade ties after the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement came into force in January, 2024.
Turkish Airlines is enhancing its presence in Southeast Asia through new flights to Phnom Penh, which will start in December and be three times weekly via Bangkok.
The Turkish Airlines’ route to Cambodia is a remarkable milestone for the country’s tourism sector and make the carrier the first European airline to introduce scheduled flights to Cambodia’s capital.
This serves as a strategic expansion, benefitting tourism and bolstering trade and diplomatic ties between Turkiye and Cambodia.
Turkish Airlines chairman Ahmet Bolat praised the launch of the new route to Phnom Penh.
“The launch of Phnom Penh flights marks a significant step forward in this goal,” he said.
“Our flights to Cambodia will create new opportunities for both tourism and business. Additionally, as the only European carrier flying to this destination, we will further solidify our leadership in the region.”
It was part of the airline’s effort to forgo the expansion of its network in Asia while strengthening connections with strategic destinations in the region.
Relations between Turkiye and Cambodia formally began in 1959 and the country opened its embassy in Phnom Penh in 2013. Relations have thrived over the past decades, with both governments working to boost trade and investment.
Both have pledged to expand trade, setting a target of $1 billion in 2019 as they commemorated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Last year, both countries also promised to work towards plans for direct flights between Phnom Penh and Istanbul.
On March 4, Prime Minister Hun Manet said launching two new routes would manifest an effort to connect Cambodia to the outside world and expand cooperation in aviation, which would help the country attract tourists and investors.
He added that air transport is a strategic driver of socio-economic development through safe and efficient travel. It promotes commercial activities and tourism, encourages social connectivity, and generates national income.
Cambodia’s aviation industry experienced good progress in 2024, with 31 domestic and international airlines operating 58,354 flights across three international airports. This represents a 14 percent increase year-on-year, the PM said.
source: https://cambodianess.com/article/airlines-set-routes-for-phnom-penh-and-siem-reap
