Medical equipment donated by the Cambodian government to Myanmar was shipped via Cambodia Airways on January 7. SUPPLIED
Four Cambodia Airways’ aeroplanes were chartered to transport donations of Covid-related medical equipment to Myanmar on January 7, accompanying a high-level delegation led by Prime Minister Hun Sen for a two-day trip.
The trip aimed to restore normality to ASEAN proceedings, by finding a way to quell the turmoil in Myanmar and bring the country back into the fold for the bloc’s future summits.
Myanmar has been beset with troubles since its military on February 1 issued a state of emergency due to perceived irregularities in the 2020 general elections, and transferred legislative, judicial and executive powers to Defence Services commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing.
The move has led to internal divisions and quarrels among ASEAN member states, which include Myanmar and Cambodia, the bloc’s 2022 chair.
Early in the morning of January 7, the planes “loaded with nearly 25 tonnes of medical supplies were neatly lined up at Phnom Penh International Airport, waiting to accompany the government high-level delegation … to fly to Nay Pyi Taw International Airport in Myanmar”, Cambodia Airways Co Ltd recounted in a statement on January 8.
The delegation comprised officials from the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) and the ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation; and Health, the airline noted.
“In the early morning, government officials at diverse levels and frontline leaders of Cambodia Airways were waiting at the airport to warmly greet and welcome the senior government delegation,” it said, naming members such as foreign minister Prak Sokhonn, industry minister Cham Prasidh and health ministry secretary of state York Sambath.
“At 6:05, four planes loaded with medical supplies took off from Phnom Penh International Airport on scheduled time and arrived at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport safely and smoothly in two hours.
“When the planes landed, the high-level delegation of [the] Myanmar government had been waiting at the airport, and welcomed Prime Minister Hun Sen and his delegation in a grand manner, followed by the donation and welcome ceremony.
“After sending three special planes which carried plenty of medical supplies to support the prevention and treatment of the pandemic in Myanmar in November last year, this time [the] mission was directed by Prime Minister Hun Sen,” it said.
The premier had officially announced the January 7-8 visit on December 5, the airline said, noting that the government early this month had called on it to provide support for the trip and pandemic prevention efforts in Myanmar.
“The Cambodian government entrusted Cambodia Airways to transport a batch of medical materials to Myanmar, disposable masks, N95 masks, goggles, personal protective equipment [PPE], face shields, [puncture-resistant plastic safety boots], ventilator machines, patient monitors and accessories, and oxygen concentrators, etc,” it said.
It went on to say that after being commissioned by the government, it “attached great importance to this mission and quickly started the emergency response procedure, organised and coordinated all departments to make adequate preparations.
“Due to the large quantity, large size of the cargo with tight timeframe, Cambodia Airways decided to use the passenger-to-cargo conversion flights again to meet the transportation demand.
“At the same time, the staffs of all departments actively participated, cooperated and took up the challenge to complete the dismantling of cabin seats of four aircrafts overnight, which bought time to guarantee [smooth] cargo loading and take-off … as planned, which has demonstrated the sense of responsibility and professional quality of [the staff at] Cambodia Airways.
“Cambodia Airways’ team successfully completed the mission of the special assignment and was highly recognised and evaluated by the prime minister,” it added.
The airline said it has operated more than 282 passenger-to-cargo conversion flights and transported nearly 3,000 tonnes of cargo to a variety of destinations “since the first flight from Phnom Penh to [the eastern Chinese city of] Yiwu”.
It noted that the prime minister “has sent letters to express his gratitude to Cambodia Airways for many times … showed his full recognition and support to Cambodia Airways, and also proved the absolute strength and capability of Cambodia Airways as [an] outstanding local airline”.
“Cambodia Airways will always uphold the concept of serving Cambodia’s citizens and the government, with a mission to promote the cultural exchanges between Cambodia and the world – to bridge up the Kingdom and the rest of the world.
“Unswerving from the start, Cambodia Airways is working hard to realise its vision of becoming the Kingdom’s leading carrier,” it said.
