Renewed MAI flights touch down in Cambodia

A Myanmar Airways International stewardess on the Airbus 320 that flew into Phnom Penh on Saturday night, Dec. 1, 2012. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post

Myanmar Airways International (MAI) has resumed flights between Yangon and Phnom Penh after a four-month suspension due to low demand.

The MAI flight landed at Phnom Penh International Airport at 7:15pm on Saturday.

MAI country manager Ye Jhan  told a press conference to cover the flight’s arrival the resumption of the route reflected an increase in demand for travel between the countries.

“MAI has decided to resume flights to Cambodia to develop tourism between the two countries, to work towards making the CLMV region one destination for tourists, and many other reasons,” he said.

“MAI will try its best to maintain this route year round.”

A visa-on-arrival service will be offered to tourists of any nationality who flew with MAI from Cambodia, Ye Jhan said.

Lav Heng, a sales agent for MAI in Phnom Penh and chairman of VLK Royal Tourism, said MAI had begun a twice-weekly route to Siem Reap and aimed to increase the number of flights to the two main international airports from two to four.

“This is a good point to show that our two countries still have great potential for tourism and we can also exchange business,” he said.

Ministry of Tourism statistics show the number of tourists from Myanmar to Cambodia increased by about 12 per cent in the first eight months of this year compared with the corresponding period last year.

Myanmar’s market share of tourism in Cambodia, however,  is very low, at just 0.1 per cent compared with other ASEAN member states.

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