QA becomes first airline from Middle East to fly to Cambodia

The inaugural Qatar Airways flight to the Kingdom of Cambodia touched down in the capital, Phnom Penh, yesterday to further extend the airline’s reach in the Asia-Pacific region.With the launch of daily scheduled services, Qatar Airways becomes the only Middle-Eastern carrier flying to the South-East Asian nation. This is the airline’s 125th destination worldwide.Flight QR602 arrived to a traditional water salute followed by a grand airport ceremony featuring colourful Cambodian dancers. The event was attended by a number of local dignitaries, including Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Tekreth Samrach; Secretary of State of Civil Aviation Mao Havanall; and the Under-Secretary of State from the Ministry of Tourism, Pak Sokhom.Guests gathered at Phonm Penh International Airport in celebration of the new air link, connecting Cambodia with scores of destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, North America and South America.Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker was joined on the inaugural flight - direct from the carrier’s Doha hub - by Long Kem, Cambodian ambassador to Kuwait and responsible for Qatar, together with international media. Al-Baker said the latest route to be operated by the award-winning airline opens up a new market for business and leisure travellers from around the world, while at the same time providing air access from Cambodia to destinations worldwide. “I take this opportunity to thank the Cambodian government and local airport authorities for their great support in helping us launch daily flights to this wonderful country,” he said. “Though Cambodia is one of the fastest growing economies in South-East Asia, it has an air travel market that is highly under-served. Qatar Airways is here to fill this void and we look forward to working with the travel trade and our business partners to make this a hugely successful operation. We are sure Cambodian travellers will be highly impressed with Qatar Airways’ award-winning hospitality.”He continued, “Qatar Airways can seamlessly connect travellers from Cambodia via our Doha hub to diverse cities like Paris, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Milan, Dubai, Cape Town, New York and Montreal. At the same time, with our new daily service between Doha and Phnom Penh, we offer travellers from around the world access to heritage tourist spots in Cambodia such as the world famous Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap and the picturesque beach island resorts in Sihanoukville.”The tourism industry, Cambodia’s second largest income source, received 3.6mn  international tourists in 2012, a 24% increase over the year before. Cambodia is also home to a new industry following the recent discovery of oil and minerals, offering huge potential for overseas investors.Al-Baker said the latest route launch marks yet another significant milestone for the airline, which is relentlessly expanding its global network. “Qatar Airways is spreading its reach in Asia and we are proud to say that our commitment to this diverse continent will continue,” he added.“In just a month’s time, we will be adding Chengdu in China, which will join our family of destinations in Asia, a continent that now represents around 30% of Qatar Airways’ global network. Another significant milestone for Qatar Airways this year will be the introduction of Chicago as our fourth US gateway, adding to daily operations to New York, Washington and Houston. Qatar Airways currently operates dedicated flights to Paris and Montreal - both very important feeder markets for Cambodia, more so with the country having historic connections with the French. We look forward to welcoming passengers connecting Cambodia with these key markets,” he said. “Greater air access to key markets will facilitate movements to and from Cambodia and help further promote tourism, business and trade in the country.”Qatar Airways’ Doha-Phnom Penh route is being operated with an Airbus A330 in a two-class configuration of up to 248 seats in Economy and up to 36 in Business. Flights operate via Ho Chi Minh City.The aircraft features seat-back TV screens, providing all passengers in both cabins with the next-generation, interactive on-board entertainment system - a choice of more than 800 audio and video on-demand options.One of the world’s fastest growing airlines, Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 119 aircraft to 125 key business and leisure destinations worldwide.Over the next few weeks, it will launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Chengdu, China (March 19), Chicago, USA (April 10) and Salalah, Oman (May 22).