Doha: Qatar Airways on Thursday said it will begin daily scheduled services to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh starting February 20, 2013.
The move is aimed at further boosting its Asia Pacific network, the carrier said in a statement, adding that the Doha-based airline will be the only Middle Eastern carrier to operate into Cambodia.
Phnom Penh will be Qatar Airways’ latest destination in Asia, which now represents around 30 per cent of the carrier’s 119-strong network of global cities, the carrier said, adding the Cambodian capital will also be its 11th gateway in the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), following on from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Hanoi, Singapore, Manila, Phuket and Yangon.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said in a statement that daily flights from the airline’s Doha hub to Phnom Penh will provide “increased travel opportunities” for travellers from Europe, the Middle East and North America.
“We very much look forward to our arrival in Cambodia next year and playing our part to help further boost the country’s tourism industry, which is the country’s second largest income provider,” he said.
Phnom Penh is Qatar Airways’ fourth new route announcement so far for 2013, others being Gassim in Saudi Arabia, Najaf in Iraq and Chicago, the carrier’s fourth US gateway, launching between January and April, with more new routes planned during the course of the year.
Treading an aggressive expansion path, Qatar Airways currently has orders worth over $50 billion for more than 250 aircraft, split between Boeing and Airbus. The carrier’s current fleet stands at 111 aircraft, operating to 119 destinations worldwide.
In its most recent feat, Qatar Airways became the first of the major Gulf carriers to officially join a global alliance having been invited into the oneworld group, earlier this month.
