In the first four months of 2024, more than 2 million air passengers passed through international airports, said a senior official of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA).
Mao Havannal, Minister in Charge of State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, divulged this during an inspection visit to under-construction Techo International Airport late last week. “The figures are a testament to the recovery of Cambodia’s aviation industry from the Covid-19 pandemic and proudly moving forward,” said Havannal.
He went on to add, “In 2024, we have 31 domestic and foreign airlines operating flights from eight ASEAN countries, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.”
Havannal said that SSCA continues to expand national and international airport infrastructure, strengthen bilateral and multilateral international cooperation, as well as continue efforts to increase direct flights to Cambodia, both in the region, the Middle East and Europe.
He requested the representatives of national and international airlines and all airline support services to cooperate with Cambodia Airport Investment to plan the relocation of the operating office and to help prepare for the transfer of its flight program to the Techo International Airport when it officially launches.
Top Sopheak, Secretary of State and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism, told Khmer Times yesterday that the increasing in air passengers is a good sign that more flights are connected, air travel will also increase, including tourists.
“The important thing is most of our tourists prefer direct flights because direct flights save their time and money, but so far the situation of international tourists has not reached to the same as before the situation of the Covid-19,” said Sopheak.
He added that overall, the number of air passengers has increased, but for the recovery of tourists is only about 80 percent and according to the estimate in 2024, the number of tourists will be similar to the period of pre-Covid-19 crisis.
“Therefore, the next important point is that the Minister of Tourism Sok Soken has been working with the relevant ministries and institutions to facilitate this trip to make it easier for our tourists and increase the number of tourists to visit more Cambodia,” Sopheak underlined.
President of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents (CATA), Chhay Sivlin, said that the tourism situation in Cambodia so far this year has not improved much yet, but she’s optimistic about tourism in the Kingdom may improve after the launch of direct flights between Cambodia and India on June 16.
