SEPANG, May 28 — Cambodian carrier Lanmei Airlines will be operating direct flights weekly between Cambodia’s Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) effective today.

The airline will operate the PNH-KLIA flights every Saturday.

Chief operating officer and deputy chief executive officer Darren Chan Chee Seng said the airline aimed to increase the flight frequency from once a week currently to twice a week and subsequently, daily flights if the demand is high.

"Travellers today are mostly Malaysian returning from work in Cambodia, tour groups from Cambodia visiting Malaysia and also connecting passengers from China to Malaysia.

"Malaysia is a very strategic place (for tourism). Cambodians now are more travel savvy, they travel to Bangkok (Thailand), Malaysia and Singapore nowadays for shopping and with the economy growing in Cambodia, there will be a lot more Cambodians travelling overseas,” he told reporters after the reception of the airline’s inaugural flight to KLIA here today.

Also present were the commercial attache for the Cambodian Embassy in Malaysia Hao Ann and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd aviation marketing and development division deputy director Mohamed Sallauddin Mat Sah.

Mohamed Sallauddin, in his speech, said the establishment of the new route of Lanmei Airlines to KLIA would further strengthen the air connectivity of the airport, which would then boost tourists’ arrival between both countries.

"Lanmei Airlines’ establishment in Malaysia will be the only Cambodian-based airline to serve the route and will be an opportunity for future growth.

"This is good news to Malaysia as air travel is showing signs of recovery with border restrictions slowly easing in many countries,” he said.

Lanmei Airlines’ flight LQ770 departs Phnom Penh at 2 pm and the return flight LQ771 departs KLIA at 6 pm the same day. — Bernama