AirAsia Starts Selling Tickets for Kuala Lumpur-Sihanoukville Next Week

11th May 2017

Speaking to the media during the World Economic Forum on ASEAN, AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes announced that the budget carrier will start selling tickets for its new service between Kuala Lumpur and Sihanoukville in Cambodia next week.

According to Fernandes, the Cambodian government asked AirAsia several times to launch a service to the city:

The government has asked me many times to do it, and now we’ve done it.

AirAsia will fly four times per week between Kuala Lumpur and Sihanoukville, with the first flight being planned for 9^th August. The low-cost carrier will use Airbus A320 aircraft for the route.

At the moment, AirAsia operates two direct daily services between Malaysia and Cambodia, one between Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh and the other between the Malaysian capital and Siem Reap.

Passenger traffic at Sihanouk International Airport increased 118% in 2016 and reached a total of 94,630 passengers. The airport right now only handles direct flights to Siem Reap, but also has a seasonal service to Macau and Ho Chi Minh City. However, after the renovations that are going on there, it should be able to handle more traffic.

AirAsia and Tourism Malaysia Sign 2-Year Partnership

The budget carrier has also signed a 2-year agreement with the Tourism Malaysia and will together with this organization aim to attract tourists to the country. The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed this Wednesday in Shanghai.

Present at the ceremony were Malaysian Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, AirAsia Bhd Head of Commercial Spencer Lee and Tourism Malaysia Deputy General Director Abdul Khani Daud.

Mr. Lee said:

Through this partnership, we aim to generate wide awareness and publicity on Malaysia as a preferred leisure and business destination, and boost the country’s tourist arrivals and receipts. This effort is in line with the national objectives, as seen through the newly implemented e-visa entry for China and India, making tourist entry into Malaysia easier and convenient.

Mr. Abdul Khani added:

Connectivity is the heart of tourism, and this partnership between Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia will combine our marketing efforts, resulting in a stronger awareness and branding for Malaysia as a tourist destination. We look forward to stronger customer demand and confidence in Malaysia as an ideal holiday destination.