A company backed by Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh is looking to start a private flying academy in Phnom Penh, according to royalists, pilots and businessmen.
Mao Havannal, pilot to Prince Ranariddh and consultant to the venture, said Monday that Prime Minister Hun Sen approved a license for the school sometime in May or June, before last year’s national elections.
He also said that the company, Royal Khmer Services, aims to provide general aviation services, as well as pilot training.
“First, we provide the air charters. Second, air ambulances. Third, we will set up a basic pilot training school,” said Mao Havannal, who also served as undersecretary of state at the Civil Aviation Secretariat until Prime Minister Hun Sen fired him and 16 other Funcinpec-aligned government officials in September.
He also said that Royal Khmer Services has been in talks with Societe Concessionaire de l’Aeroport, the majority owner of Phnom Penh International Airport, about providing cargo handling and maintenance for private aircraft.
“The market here is not good yet, but we are optimistic for the future,” Mao Havannal said.
He said the pilot school will adhere to international standards and look to associate itself with foreign schools that can provide guidance and technical assistance.
Prince Norodom Sihariddh acts as president of Royal Khmer Services, and his father, Prince Ranariddh, bought the planes, Mao Havannal said.
He confirmed reports that Prince Ranariddh had procured three two-seat, Cessna 150 airplanes for the company.
Mao Havannal said the used aircraft had been bought, two in the Philippines and one in the US, before being dismantled and shipped by sea to Thailand. There the planes were reassembled and flown to Phnom Penh.
A Funcinpec official, who declined to be named, said Monday that the aviation venture would not get started until after the formation of a new government.
(Additional reporting by Porter Barron)
