Thailand’s largest air carrier has set its sights on Cambodia for major developments in the coming years, spurred on by the country’s rapidly growing tourism industry, Bangkok Airways’ president said in an interview Wednesday.
Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth said the airline will help bring more people into Cambodia by expanding current airports, increasing flights and through a package tourism scheme to fly tourists through five world heritage sites in the Mekong Region.
Cambodia has experienced a booming tourist increase for several years. Between January and March this year, the country received 117,645 tourists, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
The number of tourists is expected to climb as the country develops the industry further and casts off the shadow of its darker past.
Tourism over the coming years will continue to provide good revenue for the country, something that Bangkok Airways Co Ltd wants to help along as well as profit from, Prasert said, visiting the Phnom Penh Bangkok Airways office this week.
Tourism “is a big industry without big investment,” he said.
The airline, which opened a subsidiary, Siem Reap Airways, will be looking to expand its operations through both airlines, Prasert said.
By expanding the coverage of Siem Reap Airways Co Ltd and looking at ways to upgrade airports in Siem Reap, Prasert said his airline would be bringing in more big spenders from farther abroad to Cambodia.
About 93 percent of the airline’s passengers come from foreign countries.
The airline projects 1.1 million passengers on 24,000 flights for 2001.
Siem Reap Airways came to Cambodia in October at a time when tourism agencies were complaining about too many canceled flights by national carriers.
The airline is taking steps to train flight and ground crews, including sending some to Vietnam for training, said Pradit Theekakul, general manager of Seam Reap Airways.
Some Cambodian flight crew are already working for the airline, he said.
Cambodian pilots will also be hired and trained as soon as possible, Prasert said.
This is difficult, however, because Bangkok Airways aircraft have a lot of modern technology that must be learned, he said.
The airline also plans to extend flights to both Singapore and Hong Kong, though not for a few years, Prasert said.
Siem Reap Airways will also be part of a Mekong regional tourism scheme that will provide a one-way, circular ticket to visit World Heritage Sites in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, Prasert said.
Those flights are expected in July 2002.
Prasert said the government will have to come up with more upgrades to the Siem Reap airport without damaging Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples.
The UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization has already warned that vibrations from large aircraft pose a threat to the structures.
That could mean building a new airport farther from the temples, Prasert said.
Such a project would run counter to improvements already being made to the current airport.
