Budget carrier AirAsia launched its inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville yesterday. The scheduled service, which operates four times a week, is expected to help spur tourism to the Kingdom’s southern coast beaches, according to Spencer Lee, head of commercial for Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad.

“This coastal city in Cambodia presents great potential and dynamic opportunities in terms of tourism, trade and economy which we are happy to be a part of this journey to develop Sihanoukville further,” he said in a press release.

Éric Delobel, CEO of Cambodia Airports, the company that operates the Kingdom’s three international airports, said the growth of visitors to Sihanoukville was a key driver for the expansion of its facilities, which will see a new terminal and enlarged runway capacity completed next year.