The national flag carrier – Air Cambodia (K6) flight K6929 landed on July 18 at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport from Shenzhen, China, carrying a whole load of passengers, marking the inauguration of the first direct flight route between Angkor Wat—a UNESCO World Heritage site—and China’s four major first-tier cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
The Siem Reap Angkor International Airport held a water salute to welcome the inaugural flight.
Siem Reap, home to the renowned Angkor Wat and a favourite destination among Chinese tourists, has long relied on transit through Phnom Penh due to the lack of direct flights.
The launch of this new route is expected to significantly boost tourist flows from China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to Cambodia, injecting fresh momentum into the “China-Cambodia Tourism Year 2025”.
Senior Cambodian and Chinese officials attended the inaugural celebrations held at both Shenzhen and Siem Reap airports.
These included Chea Aun, Permanent Secretary of State at the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation of Cambodia; Deputy Governor of Siem Reap province, Ngouv Sengkak; Soeung Rathchavy, Cambodian Ambassador to China; Zhang Zhaoxin, representative of the Consular Office of the Chinese Embassy in Siem Reap; Hang Sandap, Under Secretary of State at Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism; as well as representatives from the Shenzhen Municipal Transport Bureau, Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau, and the Foreign Affairs Office.
The direct flight operates weekly by an Airbus A320/A321, departing Siem Reap every Thursday at 21:30 and returning from Shenzhen to Siem Reap at 06:20 on Friday.
The flight includes both business and economy class, with a one-way journey time of approximately 2.5 hours. This new route adds a convenient travel option for residents of the Greater Bay Area. Tourists can now fly into either Phnom Penh or Siem Reap and depart from the other, eliminating the need to double back and saving at least a day of travel time.
It also enhances the overall travel experience. Travel agencies across the region have responded quickly, launching new products to seize the opportunity.
Guangzhou GZL International Travel Service has already dispatched the first group of 50 tourists as part of its “Guangzhou-Shenzhen Link, Khmer Twin Cities – 1,000-Person Greater Bay Area Tour to Cambodia” programme.
Zhan David, Vice Chairman and CEO of Air Cambodia, said that July 19 marks the 67th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and China.
“This new direct route, launched in collaboration with Shenzhen Airport Group and Yunnan Air Investment (Cambodia) Airport Management Co., Ltd., fills a market gap for direct flights between Siem Reap and China’s four major cities. It not only facilitates tourism from the Greater Bay Area and beyond but also encourages large numbers of European and American tourists currently in Siem Reap to travel to China,” he said.
This is a strong step toward realising the vision set by the leaders of both countries in April, declaring 2025 as the ‘China-Cambodia Tourism Year.’ It also serves as a heartfelt tribute to 67 years of China-Cambodia friendship, he added. AKP
