Although armed clashes along the Cambodia–Thailand border prompted the closure of land border crossings, the transportation of goods and passengers by water and air continues to operate normally between the two nations.
A report from the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), obtained by The Post on February 13, shows that currently, there are 270 flights between Cambodia and Thailand per week. A total of 10 airlines operate these routes — three Cambodian airlines and seven international airlines.
According to the SSCA, the three Cambodian airlines are Air Cambodia, Cambodia Airways, and Sky Angkor Airlines. The seven international airlines include five Thai carriers: Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways International, Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet Air and cargo carrier K-Mile, as well as Emirates Airlines from the United Arab Emirates and Turkish Airlines from Türkiye.
Of the 270 weekly flights: 152, including 10 cargo flights, fly between Phnom Penh and Bangkok, while 118 operate on the Siem Reap–Bangkok–Phuket route.
In total, 36 airlines operating domestic and international flights (4 domestic and 32 international) in Cambodia, connecting the country to 46 destinations in 17 countries.
“Among the 17 countries, Cambodia’s aviation sector is connected to eight ASEAN countries (excluding Brunei and Timor-Leste). Outside ASEAN, connections include China, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Türkiye,” said the SSCA.
Market demand and opportunity have recently prompted Cambodia’s national carrier, Air Cambodia, to order 10 Boeing 737-8 (MAX 8) aircraft from the US, with the options of purchasing an additional 10 in the future.
On September 8, Air Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China’s Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) regarding plans to purchase 20 Chinese-made C909 regional aircraft. Of them, 10 aircraft have been confirmed, while the remaining 10 are intended future purchases.
