The interior of Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) prior to its opening in October 2023. ASEAN Urbanist/FB
In response to the positive growth in Cambodia’s tourism and aviation sectors, marked by a steady increase in domestic and international visitors, AirAsia Cambodia has announced a new flight route connecting Siem Reap, the country’s historic tourist destination, with Singapore.
In addition to travellers, many Singaporean investors are actively investing in Cambodia.
AirAsia announced that it will launch a new flight route from Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) to Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) starting November 9.
“Since AirAsia Cambodia began operations in May 2024, we have observed significant demand and potential for increasing international flight routes. Singapore is the start of new destinations to which we will soon expand, including direct flights connecting Phnom Penh and Singapore,” the company stated.
Thourn Sinan, president of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Cambodia chapter, said on September 23 that Singapore is a global hub for trade and services.
He added that the additional flights by AirAsia will undoubtedly benefit Cambodia greatly.
He noted that Singapore has some of the busiest airports and seaports in the world, so improving travel connections between the two countries will lead to more positive outcomes for Cambodia, particularly in tourism and commerce.
Sinan noted that Cambodia enjoys good relations with Singapore, not only in tourism but also with numerous Singaporean financiers already investing in Cambodia.
“In my view, the new Siem Reap-Singapore flight by AirAsia Cambodia is a significant development for Cambodia. While Singaporean tourists are not among the top 10 visitors to Cambodia, this new flight is likely to encourage more tourists and investors from Singapore to visit and invest in Cambodia,” he said.
Sinan encouraged both domestic and international airlines to increase their flights connecting the country to other important destinations.
Siem Reap provincial governor Prak Sophorn told local media that the announcement by AirAsia is critical, especially as the province is working hard to increase the number of international tourists returning after the pandemic.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, from January to July 2024, the country received a total of 3,742,230 international visitors, an increase of 23.2% compared to the 3,037,344 received during the same period in 2023. Of these, Singaporean visitors totaled 24,277, a slight decrease of 2.3%.
