Plans were finalized last week for the first direct flight between Cambodia and Japan, which is set to launch in September, according to Tourism Minister Thong Khon, who met with Japanese Ambassador Kumamaru Yuji on Thursday.
With almost 200,000 Japanese nationals visiting Cambodia for work or pleasure last year, the flight connecting Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Phnom Penh International Airport will begin on September 1, operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA).
“This will be the first direct flight from Japan to Cambodia in history,” Mr. Khon said on Sunday. “There are more and more Japanese people coming to invest in Cambodia, especially in Phnom Penh, and also Japanese tourists,” he added. “So, it is the stage at which they need to expand flights.”
Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said ANA would charge about $600 for a round-trip ticket during a two-month promotion after the service is launched.
“It will be faster for people to fly to Cambodia from Japan than connecting flights that could make passengers lose belongings like suitcases,” he said.
The service will operate three times a week.
