India’s leading low-cost carrier IndiGo will start direct flights between Kolkata and Siem Reap to respond to the growth in passenger traffic between the two countries and promote cultural tourism.
Sinn Chanserev Vutha, Secretary of State and Spokesperson for Civil Aviation, said that India’s IndiGo will start direct flights between Kolkata and Siem Reap in February 2025 using A320 aircraft and operate three times a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The State Secretariat for Civil Aviation has already granted permits to IndiGo, and is only waiting for the company to launch the service, he said.
IndiGo initially planned to start flight operations to Cambodia in late 2024 but later postponed that to early 2025, he added.
“The new route will benefit both countries in terms of shorter travel times and lower costs, especially since both sides want to promote tourism, culture, religion and health services. Cambodians use a lot of health services in India, while Indians want to come to Cambodia for tourism, culture and religion,” Vutha told Khmer Times yesterday.
In June 2024, Cambodian airline Cambodia Angkor Air (K6) began operating direct flights to India, operating four flights a week.
Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, viewed the launch of the new service as a strategic move to tap into the booming Indian outbound travel market.
“This direct connection will contribute to tourism sector development in Cambodia. It not only simplifies travel but also strengthens cultural ties between the two nations,” Sivlin said.
The airline is launching operations as the two countries announced to promote the tourism sector through Cambodia-India Tourism Year 2024. This new route is expected to significantly boost tourist arrivals in both countries.
In the first 11 months of 2024, Cambodia received about six million international tourists, up 22 percent compared to the same period in 2023, according to a report by the Ministry of Tourism.
The Kingdom welcomed 45,518 Indian tourists during the January to November 2024 period, up 13.5 percent from the same period last year, read the report.
By the end of 2024, Cambodia expects to receive about 6.7 million international tourists, which is more than before COVID-19 and about 22 million domestic tourists.
