PHNOM PENH - Cambodia and Vietnam aviation officials are planning to launch new aviation routes between the two countries, according to local officials.

The routes will connect Phu Quoc Island, off the southern coast of Vietnam near the mouth of the Mekong River, with Sihanoukville, and the southern province of Can Tho with Phnom Penh.

Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) Undersecretary of State Soy Sokhan told the Phnom Penh Post, “We see huge potential for these routes. Sihanoukville will be a popular destination for the tourism industry.”

The start-up of services will follow a feasibility study but officials hope to schedule daily flights in each direction on both routes.
 
Cambodia Angkor Air, 51 percent owned by the Cambodian government in a joint venture with Vietnam Airlines, is believed to be the preferred carrier on the new routes.

Ho Vandy, co-chairman of the Government-Private Sector Forum’s Tourism Working Group, said Phu Quoc Island and Can Tho province were both popular tourism hubs in Vietnam and could be valuable feeders for the Cambodian tourism sector if the routes became available.