Air Cambodia will launch the Tokyo/Narita–Fuzhou–Phnom Penh route on October 26. Ahead of the debut, the airline’s Tokyo Branch Manager, Mr. Kevin Lee, spoke with media in Tokyo.
Outbound flight K6593 departs Tokyo/Narita at 8:00 p.m., arriving in Fuzhou at 11:30 p.m. It departs again at 12:30 a.m. the next day and arrives in Phnom Penh at 2:55 a.m. The return flight K6592 leaves Phnom Penh at 9:40 a.m., arrives in Fuzhou at 2:00 p.m., departs at 2:50 p.m., and lands at Tokyo/Narita at 7:00 p.m. Block time is 8 hours 55 minutes from Tokyo/Narita and 7 hours 20 minutes from Phnom Penh. No change of planes is required in Fuzhou. The service operates three round trips per week on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, using a two-class, 170-seat Airbus A320 (8 business, 162 economy).
This is a fifth-freedom route via Fuzhou, with the stop added in consideration of the A320’s range. Mr. Lee emphasized the benefits for Cambodia, China, and Japan, saying the service would ‘further strengthen trilateral ties and make a major contribution to investment, trade, cultural exchange, and tourism.’ The airline plans to introduce two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in 2029, and is considering switching to nonstop service at that time.
In Phnom Penh, operations at the long-serving Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH), in use since the 1950s, ended on September 8, with the new Techo Takhmao International Airport (KTI) opening on September 9. Located about 25 kilometers south of the city center, the airport covers 2,600 hectares. At opening, it features a main terminal with 32 boarding gates and a single 4,000-meter runway, with an initial capacity of 13 million passengers per year. Looking ahead, the plan is to expand to three runways and a capacity of 50 million passengers annually.
Infrastructure around the newly opened airport—such as airport hotels—is being developed at a rapid pace. ‘There is a lot of vacant land around the site, and gradual development is expected. We are looking forward to future growth in commercial facilities, including hotels,’ Mr. Lee said. For access between the airport and central Phnom Penh, an express bus runs about every 30 minutes during the day, but because the flight from Tokyo/Narita arrives late at night, ‘you will need to take a taxi to the city’ (Mr. Lee). The ride takes about 30–40 minutes and costs around USD 20.
Air Cambodia was established in 1956 as the state-owned airline formerly known as Cambodia Angkor Air, and adopted its current name in January 2025. In addition to domestic routes within Cambodia, the carrier operates international services focused on Southeast Asia, India, Palau, and major cities in China, and connects to Europe and Australia via codeshares with airlines such as Vietnam Airlines. It primarily uses ATR 72 aircraft on domestic and ASEAN routes, and Airbus A320-family jets on medium-haul international routes. The airline plans to expand to a 33-aircraft fleet by 2032, and aims to launch Osaka/Kansai–Fuzhou–Phnom Penh service in March 2026.
As for Japan–Cambodia connectivity, All Nippon Airways (ANA) launched Tokyo/Narita–Phnom Penh service in September 2016, but it is currently suspended.
Notice
This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
