Thailand’s new national airline has its eyes on the coveted Bangkok to Siem Reap route, the Bangkok Post reported Tuesday.
Angel Airlines, which started operations Sept 20, wants to expand its service to Cambodia, as well as to Luang Prabang in Laos, and the Burmese city of Mandalay, the report stated.
Cambodia civil aviation officials said Tuesday that the airline had not yet applied for rights to fly to Siem Reap. Keo Savorn, director of operations at the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said he had heard the carrier wants to fly charters, not regularly scheduled flights.
“For me, I think one or two charter flights a year would be OK,” he said.
The government opened up the Bangkok-Siem Reap route last year to give Cambodia’s beleaguered tourism industry a boost. Currently, only Bangkok Airways has the rights to fly daily charters between Bangkok and Siem Reap. Other airlines, including Royal Air Cambodge, have expressed interest in the route.
Angel Airlines began operations last month and flies to Singapore as well as several domestic destinations such as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Udon Thani.
The Thai carrier was set up to provide service on domestic and regional routes where Thai Airways International does not operate, according to the Post.
