The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A direct commercial air route between Cambodia and Europe was opened for the first time Friday with the arrival of an Air Finland flight, officials said.
The Air Finland Boeing 757 landed with 215 passengers at the main airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, said Khek Norinda, a spokesman for the airport's operator, the French company Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports.
The plane, with a crew of eight, flew from Stockholm, Khek Norinda said, adding that Air Finland plans to operate three charter flights to Cambodia each month.
The plane's arrival Friday was the first by a European commercial airline, he said, saying he hoped the direct link would help increase the number of European visitors to Cambodia and reduce the country's dependence on neighboring countries' airports and carriers.
"However, we need more time to assess accurately the effects of direct flights from European countries. We're just at the beginning," he said.
Air travel to and from Cambodia is currently dominated by foreign-owned airlines.
Last month, the government signed a joint venture agreement with two Indonesian companies to form a national airline to tap the country's growing tourism industry.
Cambodia received 1.4 million visitors between January and September this year, up nearly 19 percent from the same period in 2006, according to statistics by the Tourism Ministry. It has forecast that total tourist arrivals this year will exceed last year's 1.7 million.
The ministry said South Korean, Japanese and U.S. nationals respectively lead the list of foreign arrivals in Cambodia.
The Air Finland Boeing 757 landed with 215 passengers at the main airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, said Khek Norinda, a spokesman for the airport's operator, the French company Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports.
The plane, with a crew of eight, flew from Stockholm, Khek Norinda said, adding that Air Finland plans to operate three charter flights to Cambodia each month.
The plane's arrival Friday was the first by a European commercial airline, he said, saying he hoped the direct link would help increase the number of European visitors to Cambodia and reduce the country's dependence on neighboring countries' airports and carriers.
"However, we need more time to assess accurately the effects of direct flights from European countries. We're just at the beginning," he said.
Air travel to and from Cambodia is currently dominated by foreign-owned airlines.
Last month, the government signed a joint venture agreement with two Indonesian companies to form a national airline to tap the country's growing tourism industry.
Cambodia received 1.4 million visitors between January and September this year, up nearly 19 percent from the same period in 2006, according to statistics by the Tourism Ministry. It has forecast that total tourist arrivals this year will exceed last year's 1.7 million.
The ministry said South Korean, Japanese and U.S. nationals respectively lead the list of foreign arrivals in Cambodia.
12 comments:
Aire France and British Airline will follow shortely
Its a good sign to see EU starting to visit Khmer...but the question is, Can the Pochentong infrastructure handles large capacity airliners? A new runway must be built including expansion of its current custom check point...I hope we treat all new arrivals with friendly smile that will encourage them to returns...;)
I think in order to handle a bigger airliners the airport should have a new runway and parallel taxiways. In addition, it has to have a bigger terminal. The one they have right now is so small for a flight of more than 200 pax up. I was shocked when the custom officers and immigration officers ask for extra money at the spot. This should be avoided. We should learn now or never later. Cheers.
I was shocked when the custom officers and immigration officers ask for extra money at the spot.
I felt the same shock. I think this is quite unsual in other countries and is not a friendly "welcome" or "goodbye" to strangers who shall come again.
Yes, I can't wait until they all come. This will mean thousands of jobs for us in the airport alone, and if the carrier bring in tourists, then the jobs would multiplied by hundreds of times.
As for the runway, I am sure we have room to expand toward the south-east direction. Plus we can also add more passenger gate way toward the south-west end of the building.
From my experience, they only ask for money from Khmers (local or from abroad) and Chinese business people. They try to avoid doing that with other types of tourists especially caucasian ones because they know the outcomes won't be pretty.
Yeah, but the soon they make better salary, I am sure they will stop.
Sure that they collect the money for themself because they bought theirs positions there. But to keep their jobs, they also have to collect the money (collectively) for the ministers (MoI, MoFA, MoF and for HS too)
Where is the surprise? most political positions are bought everywhere on this planet. Have you seen any ad in the newspaper for secretary of state, Ambassador, ... , or what have you.?
2:12 AM, I fully agree with you. The salary is the first thing to be sorted out in order to get rid of corruption. But controlling prices not to rise up is the job of a good leader.
Correct, 2:53, we must not let the inflation run pass our growth, otherwise, we will be walking backward. It is a tough race. This year our economic growth is about 9.5% according to World Bank, and our inflation is about 6.5%; thus, our net is 3%. We could have done better hadn't the price of fuel rose so high.
This is the art of the free world means!"ANANIKUM AMERICA RULES!"
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