PHNOM PENH, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia received nearly 3.7 million air travelers during the first nine months of 2023, a year-on-year increase of 162 percent, said a senior official on Wednesday.
State Secretariat of Civil Aviation's Undersecretary of State and Spokesman Sinn Chanserey Vutha said international and domestic airlines had operated a total of 37,200 flights to the kingdom during the January-September period this year, a year-on-year rise of 103 percent.
In contrast to the increase in air passengers, the Southeast Asian country saw a 6 percent drop in air cargo volume to over 41,000 tonnes during the first nine months of this year, he said.
Chanserey Vutha has a strong belief that the Chinese-invested Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), which started commercial operations on Monday, will help attract more international airlines and passengers to Cambodia.
"With a 3,600-meter runway, the SAI is a 4E-level international airport that can accommodate long-distance flights from across the world," he told Xinhua.
"We hope the airport will attract new international airlines to operate direct flights to Siem Reap province, home of the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archeological Park," he added. ■
