Cambodia launched Cambodia Angkor Air, giving the southeast Asian country its first flag carrier since a previous effort folded in 2001. -- PHOTO: AFP
PHNOM PENH, July 27 (Reuters) - Cambodia launched a new national carrier on Monday, a $100 million, three-aircraft venture set up in a bid to boost the tourist sector with the help of Vietnam Airlines.
Cambodia will hold 51 percent of Cambodia Angkor Air and Vietnam Airlines the rest.
Cambodia will hold 51 percent of Cambodia Angkor Air and Vietnam Airlines the rest.
The airline will operate domestic flights from Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, to Siem Reap, site of the Angkor temples, the country's biggest tourist destination, and to the coastal tourist town of Sihanoukville.
'The government is investing to facilitate the company's flight operations to carry tourists for competitive fares, to attract more visitors,' Prime Minister Hun Sen told a crowd at Phnom Penh International airport.
The new airline will initially operate with two ATR 72 planes and is scheduled to get an Airbus A321 in September.
It was looking to expand commercial flights to Vietnam and another neighbouring country, Laos, and hoped to increase its fleet to 10 by 2015, said Vietnam Airlines Executive Director Pham Ngoc Minh.
'The government is investing to facilitate the company's flight operations to carry tourists for competitive fares, to attract more visitors,' Prime Minister Hun Sen told a crowd at Phnom Penh International airport.
The new airline will initially operate with two ATR 72 planes and is scheduled to get an Airbus A321 in September.
It was looking to expand commercial flights to Vietnam and another neighbouring country, Laos, and hoped to increase its fleet to 10 by 2015, said Vietnam Airlines Executive Director Pham Ngoc Minh.
Vietnam and Cambodia are traditional rivals, and Vietnam's deputy prime minister, Truong Vinh Trong, said at a signing ceremony on Sunday evening that the airline was not just a rare joint investment, but a way to 'improve the two Asian neighbours' bilateral relations'.
Cambodia has had no national carrier since Royal Air Cambodge went bankrupt in 2001 with estimated losses of $25 million.
In 2007, Indonesia's Rajawali Group signed a deal with Cambodia to establish a flag carrier and planned to begin flights in mid-2008, but the deal was cancelled because of the global economic downturn.
Cambodia welcomed 2.2 million tourists last year.
Tourism brought in the equivalent of 13 percent of gross domestic product in 2005 to 2007, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The sector had been growing at around 18 percent a year before the global financial crisis but growth in the sector is likely to be only 5 percent this year, according to tourism officials.
The IMF has forecast that Cambodia's economy could shrink 0.5 percent this year, hurt by a drop in tourism and a slowdown in garment exports.
Cambodia has had no national carrier since Royal Air Cambodge went bankrupt in 2001 with estimated losses of $25 million.
In 2007, Indonesia's Rajawali Group signed a deal with Cambodia to establish a flag carrier and planned to begin flights in mid-2008, but the deal was cancelled because of the global economic downturn.
Cambodia welcomed 2.2 million tourists last year.
Tourism brought in the equivalent of 13 percent of gross domestic product in 2005 to 2007, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The sector had been growing at around 18 percent a year before the global financial crisis but growth in the sector is likely to be only 5 percent this year, according to tourism officials.
The IMF has forecast that Cambodia's economy could shrink 0.5 percent this year, hurt by a drop in tourism and a slowdown in garment exports.
(Reporting by Ek Madra; Additional reporting by Nguyen Nhat Lam in Hanoi; Editing by Alan Raybould) Keywords: CAMBODIA AIRLINE/
(ek.madra@thomsonreuters.com; +855 23 216977; Reuters Messaging ek.madra.reuters.com@reuters.net)
3 comments:
CambodiaAngkorVietnamAir
Bravo! now the great cambodia has its own air carrier by Vietnamese backing (A millions years friendshop brother Cambodia and Vietnam).
it's great for cambodia to have its own air campany. but be careful like "Cambodia is head and Vietnam is stomach". if CambodiaAngkorVietnamAir is process good it's mean Cambodia will gain good reputation from the people around the world otherwise if this business have problem it's very ashame for our Cambodia country meanwhile vietnam nothing to effect its own country.
Why i can say like this, Please the website of our CambodiaAngkorVietnamAir http://www.cambodiaangkorair.com Wow! what fuck the wonderful website all is in english and vietnamese language.
this website serves cambodian or serves Vietnamese. Please help me to inform about this to our economy government which has Decho as the leader.
Bravo! Cambodia-Vietnam
Long life cooperation, long life harm cambodia
I hope the joint venture with VietnamAir will work. VietnamAir operates very well and make good money. Cambodia Angkor Air must fight to get access to Thailand's route because Thai airlines, especially Bangkok Airways, have unrestricted to Cambodian routes. Not onyl Thailand's routes, but Vietnam's routes as well because VietnamAir has good access to Cambodian routes as well. What I worry is that Vietnam might try to get smart and say to Cambodia that because VietnamAir and Cambodia Angkor Air are partners, Cambodia Angkor Air does not need to fly on Vietnam routes. VietnamAir and Cambodia Angkor Air are partners but they are competitors as well and Cambodian authority must fight for equal access to all flight routes.
i don't know man...i don't trust youn. they lied to us khmer so many damn times throughout our history that we khmer are having a very serious problem trusting them. i know damn well that youn will always" hoat tuk, somlerng gaag" they're not buddying up with khmer just for the sake of helping khmer airline businesses. I think they are using a smaller fish to catch a much bigger fish. like i said, i'm having a very serious problem trusting youn. you know that they have a nice fancy airport built in Koh Tral in anticipation for the tourism boom. they're gambling, so we'll see.
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