India’s leading low-cost airline, IndiGo, is set to commence direct flights between Kolkata and Siem Reap starting February 2025. The new route aims to accommodate the increasing passenger traffic between India and Cambodia and promote cultural tourism.
Sinn Chanserev Vutha, Secretary of State and Spokesperson for Civil Aviation, announced that IndiGo will operate the route using A320 aircraft, with flights scheduled three times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The State Secretariat for Civil Aviation has already issued the necessary permits, and the airline is now preparing to launch the service.
Initially planned for late 2024, the flight operations were postponed to early 2025. Vutha highlighted the mutual benefits of the new route, which will reduce travel time and costs while supporting tourism, culture, religion, and health services. “Cambodians rely on India for health services, while Indians are drawn to Cambodia for its rich cultural, religious, and tourist attractions,” he stated in an interview with Khmer Times.
Cambodia Angkor Air (K6), Cambodia’s national airline, has already established a direct connection to India, launching four weekly flights in June 2024.
Chhay Sivlin, President of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, praised IndiGo’s initiative as a strategic move to capture the booming Indian outbound travel market. “This direct connection will simplify travel and strengthen cultural ties, contributing significantly to the development of Cambodia’s tourism sector,” Sivlin noted.
The launch coincides with the Cambodia-India Tourism Year 2024 initiative, aimed at fostering tourism cooperation between the two nations. It is expected to significantly boost tourist arrivals in both countries.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, the Kingdom received about six million international tourists in the first 11 months of 2024, marking a 22% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Indian tourist arrivals accounted for 45,518 visitors during this period, up 13.5% year-on-year. Cambodia anticipates welcoming approximately 6.7 million international tourists by the end of 2024, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels, alongside 22 million domestic tourists.
Source: Khmer Times
