Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) inaugural flight from Singapore to Siem Reap, SQ164, arrived at 09:45 hrs today (17 December). This is the first international flight to Siem Reap since March 2020. The relaunch of the service will help to rebuild air traffic between the two countries following the challenging months arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of today, SIA will operate daily flights between Siem Reap and Singapore on the Boeing 737-8, which features the airline’s all-new narrow-body cabin products. Singapore Airlines will also operate Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights four times weekly from Siem Reap to Singapore. These flights will offer quarantine-free entry into Singapore for eligible customers. The designated VTL flight is SQ163 and will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. All other flights between Siem Reap and Singapore are non-VTL flights.
To restore passenger confidence and support the resumption of traffic at its airports, Cambodia Airports has implemented a set of hygiene recommendations under the program “Protecting Each Other”, developed by VINCI Airports and rolled out at all airports in its network worldwide. Its three international platforms in Cambodia have obtained the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) of the Airports Council International (ACI), demonstrating that effective health measures are in place in compliance with the highest standards.
Zechariah Chai, Singapore Airlines, General Manager Cambodia, said: “The re-introduction of international services between Singapore and Siem Reap is great news for our customers, who can resume travel between the cities and connect on to other destinations in our network. They can look forward to a world-class experience on the Boeing 737-8 that has our latest narrow-body cabin products, such as lie-flat seats in Business Class and seat-back in-flight entertainment for both Business Class and Economy Class customers.”
Alain Brun, CEO of Cambodia Airports, the company that operates Cambodia’s three international airports, said: “This new stage in relaunching international connectivity is a positive step forward for Cambodia. This opportunity would not have been possible had Cambodian authorities not opted for the reopening of the country to fully vaccinated visitors. Not only will Siem Reap have more visitors and assert its position as Cambodia’s top leisure and cultural destination, but passengers can also easily travel between Cambodia and other international cities via Singapore Airlines’ extensive global flight network.”
In 2019, the number of passengers going through Cambodia’s international airports totalled nearly 11.6 million, 6+ million for Phnom Penh Airport and 3.9 million for Siem Reap Airport. From a low base but experiencing triple-digit growth, Sihanoukville International Airport handled more than 1.6+ million passengers. All three platforms served more than 55 destinations and welcomed 700 regular flights per week.
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