Pact To Increase Flights Between Cambodia And Hong Kong

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An Airbus A330 of Hong Kong Airlines taxis along the runway at Moscow airport. A new agreement will see more flights operated weekly between Hong Kong and Cambodia.

The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Authority has signed an agreement to increase flights from Hong Kong to Cambodia. The Secretariat of Civil Aviation signed the agreement with the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Authority to add between 21 and 28 flights per week.

Mao Havannall, secretary of state for Civil Aviation, said the agreement was an accomplishment in the implementation of the government’s open skies policy.

Sinn Chansereyvutha, spokesman for the Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said the two sides agreed to negotiate on additional flights if there is demand. “This agreement will begin operating soon,” he said. “After the signing, Hong Kong flights will land at Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport.”

Ho Vandy, secretary-general of the Cambodia National Tourism Alliance, said the expansion of flights from Hong Kong would benefit Cambodian tourism and increase business between the countries. “The number of Hong Kong tourists will increase, and tourism service providers should take this into account and upgrade their services to make it attractive for these tourists to stay in the country longer,” he said.

“This will generate more income as well as jobs for people. Hong Kong tourists are spenders like China. However, we have to attract not only Hong Kong tourists.  We have to attract tourists from other countries as well.”

Passenger traffic at the Kingdom’s three international airports soared by 8.5 percent last year compared with 2015. Phnom Penh International Airport maintained its double-digit growth at 10 percent, receiving 3.39 million passengers last year. Sihanoukville International Airport experienced a massive rise in passenger traffic with a 66 percent increase over 2015, breaking the 150,000 passenger mark for the first time. Growth at Siem Reap International Airport, though still modest, was 5.5 percent with 3.47 million passengers – the slowest rate of growth in the past four years.

This article was originally published in the Khmer Times.

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