AirAsia will fly directly from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Sihanoukville International Airport in July to seize the flow of tourists to Cambodia’s coastal province.
According to a statement issued by AirAsia Cambodia on Thursday, the flights will be operated directly from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from July 3, with three flights per week: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
“Sihanoukville awaits. Discover Cambodia’s coastal gem, featuring pristine beaches and a gateway to paradise islands,” the airline said.
Sin Chansereyvutha, Under-Secretary of State and Spokesman for the Secretariat of State for Civil Aviation, said the airline had already flown the Kuala Lumpur-Sihanoukville flight route, but flight service was shut down due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
“Now the economic situation seems to be improving, which is the reason the airline decided to resume its flight service,” Chansereyvutha told Khmer Times.
In May, AirAsia Cambodia, a joint venture between AirAsia and hospitality group Sivilai Asia, launched four flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap per day and four flights between Sihanoukville and Siem Reap per day.
In the five months from January to May 2024, Cambodia received more than 2.5 million air passengers, up 22 percent from the same period last year, according to the Secretariat of State for Civil Aviation.
Currently, 31 domestic and international airlines are operating air service in Cambodia including from eight ASEAN countries, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Qatar and the United Arabic Emirates.
Cambodia welcomed 2.1 million foreign tourists in the first four months this year, a year-on-year increase of 22.9 percent, a report from the Ministry of Tourism showed.
Over 30 percent of total foreign tourist arrivals travelled to the Kingdom through the three international airports during the period of four months, read the report.
