Cambodia Signs Protocol 5 – Targeting Increased Air Connectivity In ASEAN In 2025
Cambodia signed Protocol 5 at the 30th ASEAN Transport Ministers (ATM) and the 58th Senior Transport Officials Meetings (STOM) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the hopes it will make stopover rights between member states easier when it comes into force at the end of 2025.
Mao Havannall, Minister in Charge of the SSCA (State Secretariat of Civil Aviation) signed Protocol 5 on ‘Own Stopover Rights’ between points within the territory of another ASEAN Member State (AMS). To date, all ASEAN member states have signed Protocol 5 except for Myanmar and Indonesia, who are still in the process of completing their formalities. For Protocol 5 to take effect, all ASEAN member states must approve it.
What Is Protocol 5?
The protocol allows for stopover rights between flight points within any of the ASEAN member states. It is hoped the signatories will see increased air connectivity and trade in the region once it is endorsed. After endorsement by all member states, and finalisation at the ASEAN Secretariat, the protocol will come into force (targeted for 2025).
In essence, the airlines can continue flying from one destination to another within the region. The existing ASEAN Open Sky Policy facilitates two-point flows where a flight goes to one place in ASEAN and returns to the original destination, so Protocol 5 removes this limitation and will enable greater operational flexibility.
SSCA spokesperson, Sinn Chanserey Vutha, said, “The purpose of signing Protocol 5 is to boost the liberalisation of air transport services in the ASEAN region and support trade, economy and tourism in the region."
Other agreements which were noted were:
- The ASEAN-New Zealand Air Service Agreement and its Protocol 1, which Malaysian media marked as an important milestone in strengthening aviation flows between ASEAN and New Zealand and could see expanded market access for airlines.
- ASEAN is also committed to advancing negotiations and finalising air services agreements with China, Japan and South Korea.
Currently, there are no direct flights between Cambodia and either Australia or New Zealand, but 30 airlines operate direct flights from eight ASEAN countries to the Kingdom – Mainland China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Some media reports suggested optimism that the implementation of Protocol 5 will go ahead and that airlines are already preparing to adjust their schedules and route offerings to leverage the new opportunities.
Cambodia International Tourism Numbers 2024 – Latest News
It was confirmed in December that Cambodia and Turkey are pushing for direct flights following a meeting between Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, and Ülkü Kocaefe, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Cambodia.
Mohammed Al Qassim, Emirates’ Country Manager for Cambodia, said since resuming services to Phnom Penh in May 2024, they have carried approximately 19,000 passengers and three million tonnes of cargo by the end of October. The airline plans to launch a state-of-the-art one-stop-for-all retail office in Phnom Penh before the end of 2025.
This follows the confirmation of new Eithad flights commencing to Cambodia in 2025.
According to reports at the start of December 2024:
- SSCA is projecting 67 per cent growth in air traffic for 2024 compared to 2019.
- SIA Chairman, Lu Wei announced that Siem Reap has seen 1.3 million passengers arrive in the first eleven months of 2024, with estimates of 1.4 million by the end of 2024 and 2 million in 2025.
- Cambodia attracted a total of 5.37 million international visitors in the first 10 months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 22 per cent, according to a Ministry of Tourism report.
- Cambodia recorded a total of 733,729 air passengers between Cambodia and China during the first 10 months of 2024 – this is an 83 per cent year-on-year increase from 2023.
- In 2023, 5.45 million international tourists visited Cambodia, so the number is set to be surpassed.
There are currently three international airports operating in Cambodia:
- The Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), located about 50 km from Siem Reap city, with a capacity of up to 7 million passengers per year.
- The current Phnom Penh International Airport, however, this will be replaced by the new Techo International Airport (TIA) in 2025 (TIA is currently 92 per cent complete in its first phase).
- The Sihanoukville International Airport, which has received Higher-Level ACA Environmental Recognition.
