Qatar Airways announces a new flight to Phnom Penh via Ho Chi Minh City and will become the first carrier from the Middle-East to serve Cambodia. Flights will start from next February. It will be the sixth destination in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, after Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Min City, Phuket and Yangon.
DOHA – Qatar Airways has plans to launch daily scheduled flights to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh from early next year to further boost its Asia Pacific network. The Doha-based airline will be the only Middle Eastern carrier to operate into Cambodia with services due to start on February 20.
Phnom Penh will be Qatar Airways’ latest destination in Asia, which now represents around 30% of the carrier’s 119-strong network of cities. Its Asian coverage includes diverse business and leisure cities such as Hong Kong, Hanoi, Osaka, Tokyo, Perth, Beijing, Shanghai, Melbourne, Perth, Delhi, Mumbai, Karachi and Goa.
Phnom Penh will also be Qatar Airways’ 11th gateway in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), following on from successful operations to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Hanoi, Singapore, Manila, Phuket and Yangon.
Qatar Airways will operate to Phnom Penh International Airport which is currently undergoing expansion to cater for increased capacity to handle five million passengers a year by 2017 – more than double the current amount.
Today’s news is Qatar Airways’ fourth new route announcement so far for 2013 with Gassim in Saudi Arabia, Najaf in Iraq and Chicago, the carrier’s fourth US gateway, launching between January and April, with further start-ups planned during the year.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said daily flights from the airline’s Doha hub to Phnom Penh will provide increased travel opportunities for travellers from Europe, the Middle East and North America.
“As we continue our aggressive worldwide expansion programme, we are delighted to offer our customers a much awaited connection to one of Asia’s most popular and well-loved destinations,” he said.
“We very much look forward to celebrating our arrival in Cambodia next year and playing our part to help further boost the country’s vibrant tourism industry, which is the country’s second largest income provider.”
Qatar Airways’ Doha – Phnom Penh route will be operated with an Airbus A330 in a two-class configuration of up to 248 seats in Economy and up to 36 in Business. Flights will operate via Ho Chi Minh City.
The aircraft features seatback TV screens providing all passengers in both cabins with the next generation interactive onboard entertainment system – a choice of more than 800 audio and video on demand options.
The airline resumed earlier this month its flights to Yangon in Myanmar, offering three weekly frequencies out of Doha.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
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