AirAsia Cambodia Announces Launch Of May 2024 Domestic Flights - International Flights To Follow
AirAsia Cambodia, which was first announced at the end of 2022, held a press conference on March 18 2024 to officially announce the launch of its domestic operations in the Kingdom with daily flights to Phnom Penh (PP), Siem Reap (SAI), and Sihanoukville (KOS) taking off on 2 May 2024.
The regional low-cost carrier will be using two A320 aircraft based at Phnom Penh International Airport with a target of 85 per cent loads for its domestic flights. It's anticipated they could be offering international flights in Q3 2024.
AirAsia Cambodia CEO, Vissoth Nam said at the launch: “As a truly local airline, we are proud to introduce affordable fares to the Kingdom. This will not only improve connectivity but also encourage travellers to stay longer in the country.
Our vision is to transform the way people travel in Cambodia and make air travel an integral part of the country's transportation network by offering great value fares, exceptional service, and strong connectivity starting with these three destinations.
Since the initial fanfare announcement of the airline in Cambodia in December 2022, AirAsia Cambodia has called for better collaboration between the airline, airports and the government to help reduce the costs of operating services in the Kingdom, citing high aviation costs and high airport taxes - which AirAsia Cambodia CEO Nam Vissoth called the “most expensive airport” in the region.
Despite the challenging landscape they are optimistic about the potential for the country and the region and have a larger connectivity plan for ASEAN. Cambodia Permanent Secretary of State HE Chea Oun was present at the launch ceremony.
AirAsia Regional Network
AirAsia operates a large international network and actually will be a main competitor to AirAsia Cambodia. The airports in Cambodia could be connected to 130 destinations across Asia such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia, utilising its main hubs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Bangkok, Thailand.
AirAsia Chief Revenue Management and Network Planning Officer, Paul Carroll, added that AirAsia Cambodia has bold plans to fly as many as two million to and from Cambodia over the coming years.
Capital A, the parent company of AirAsia, increased its stake in a local Cambodian ground services company called ADE Cambodia to 60 per cent in late 2023 – which will be providing maintenance services, component and warehouse services, engineering support services, and digital and innovation services to aircraft, including repair and maintenance of aircraft and/or engines, consultancy, and training.
In March 2024, the airline also announced the launch of a new route to Kazakhstan -AirAsia X became the first airline in Southeast Asia to offer direct flights to Almaty from Kuala Lumpur. There have been a number of new flight routes announced for Cambodia in 2024 and tourism and connectivity are hugely important for the economic growth of the Southeast Asian country. 
AirAsia Cambodia Tickets
Ticket sales have also been opened up with special launch deals for AirAsia Cambodia who are offering 6,000 FREE Seats for travelling between 2 May 2024 and 29 March 2025 on their website and and the AirAsia MOVE app. These tickets are subject to availability and the free part refers to base fares starting from USD $0 and does not include airport taxes and other applicable fees. The promotion is also not applicable for booking with travel agents.
Bookings can also be paid through AirAsia Cambodia's payment processing service provider - Oriental Bank’s payment gateway service - their partnership was announced in October 2023. Payment options include credit cards and KHQR for Cambodian guests.