Air Cambodia, the Kingdom’s national carrier, will introduce a new route between Phnom Penh and Tokyo, Japan, before the end of 2025. In the future, the airline also plans to operate flights from Phnom Penh to Osaka.
Sinn Chanserey Vutha, secretary of state at the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), told The Post on July 3 that Minister in charge of the SSCA Mao Havannall signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with senior Japanese aviation officials on June 30 to open air transport routes, allowing Air Cambodia to operate flights to Japan.
The Tokyo flights will stopover in China, but the planned Osaka route is expected to be served by direct flights.
“Currently, we are seeking to operate flights to two cities — Tokyo and Osaka — but due to certain constraints, the Osaka route will be launched later. For now, we have approval to fly to Tokyo. We expect to begin flights before the end of the year,” explained Vutha.
“The new air link will contribute to the economic growth of both countries by bringing in tourists and investors, and also facilitating cargo transport,” he added.
Before the outbreak of Covid-19, Japan’s ANA (All Nippon Airways) offered direct connections between Cambodia and Japan. However, the route was discontinued in January 2021 due to a major drop in passenger numbers. According to some sources, ANA may resume flights to Cambodia in 2026.
The SSCA reported that in the first five months of 2025, Cambodia’s three international airports (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap-Angkor and Preah Sihanouk) saw a steady increase in flights. There were a total of 27,670 inbound and outbound flights, a 14% increase over the same period in 2024. The number of air passengers (inbound and outbound) reached 3,042,548, up 18%, while air cargo totalled 29,019 tonnes — a 5% increase.
The Ministry of Tourism reported that during the first five months of 2025, Cambodia welcomed 2.95 million international guests, an increase of 11.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Among them, 48,949 were Japanese — an increase of 5.5%.
In terms of bilateral trade during the
In the same period, total Cambodia-Japan bilateral trade reached $1.02 billion — an increase of 28% compared to the same period in 2024. Exports were worth $635.22 million, up 19.2%, while imports amounted to $389 million, an increase of 45.6%.
