Emirates airline will restart its daily service to Phnom Penh starting from May 1 via Singapore, boosting the airline’s Southeast Asian connectivity to and from Dubai, and linking two trade and leisure centres in the region.
“The resumption of our Phnom Penh services demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our Southeast Asian network, as we continue to create more opportunities for travellers to explore diverse and culturally rich destinations, and help businesses and exporters of all sizes establish stronger trade connections,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President, and Chief Commercial Officer.
The service will be operated with a three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Emirates’ flight EK348 will depart Dubai at 0230hrs and arrive in Singapore at 1405hrs.
The flight will then depart Singapore at 1535hrs arriving in Phnom Penh at 1635hrs. Emirates’ return flight EK349 will leave Phnom Penh at 2050hrs and arrive in Singapore at 2350hrs.
The flight will then depart Singapore at 0140hrs the next day arriving in Dubai at 0455hrs, citing that all times are local.
Phnom Penh’s linked schedule with Singapore is conveniently timed, providing optimal connecting opportunities to and from multiple cities in France, the UK, Germany, Switzerland and the United States. Through this additional connection, Emirates will serve Singapore with four daily flights starting from May 1.
Emirates SkyCargo will also offer cargo belly hold capacity on the Boeing 777-300ER of more than 300 tonnes per week in and out of Phnom Penh.
Main commodities exported from Phnom Penh include textiles, pharmaceuticals and other high-value commodities.
Emirates has been serving Cambodia with its flights to Phnom Penh since July 2017 before it discontinued service in 2021, the year the coronavirus pandemic hit hard demand for air travel.
As Cambodia’s largest and most rapidly developing city, Phnom Penh is one of the most popular Southeast Asian hubs for tourism and trade, with significant appeal to travellers from Europe and the Americas.
The resumption of air service is made amid the two countries — Cambodia and the United Arabic Emirates (UAE) are committed to promoting trade and economic ties.
The Cambodia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was put into force on January 31, 2024, after the two countries concluded talks on the agreement establishment in June 2023.
According to the commerce ministry, trade between Cambodia and the UAE reached US$151 million in 2021, marking a 53 per cent increase from 2020.
Key items in bilateral trade include clothing, footwear, bicycles, travel goods, tobacco, milled rice, electrical appliances, vehicle components, asphalt, tuber sugars, animal feed, plastics, vehicles and paper. khmertimeskh
