It will be called AirAsia Cambodia.

This follows AirAsia’s plan to launch a new service from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville city. AirAsia currently flies daily from Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

The Khmer Times quoted Cambodia’s Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol as saying, “The purpose of forming AirAsia Cambodia was brought up by AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes in his meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen last week at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Asean.”

He said Fernandes told Hun Sen that AirAsia Cambodia was needed to handle an increasing number of air travellers from Malaysia to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and later to Sihanoukville.

“The prime minister, in turn, replied that he was behind Mr Fernandes’s decision 100%,” Chanthol was quoted as saying by the Khmer Times.

On the new route, he said there would be four AirAsia flights a week from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 to Sihanouk International Airport on the Airbus 320. The first flight is scheduled for Aug 9.

The Khmer Times quoted Fernandes as saying, “We think the Cambodian air travel market could be lucrative and the timing to expand our routes is perfect.

“We hope in time to come that people may come to Phnom Penh and then go to Sihanoukville. We are about to invest for the long term and see huge potential in these airports.

“It is about connectivity and I think one of the most important aspects is for the people of Sihanoukville to have another option to fly.

“It is not just about tourism. We also hope small businesses can benefit by expanding their businesses into Asean.”

Chanthol said Cambodia’s open skies policy promoted Asean connectivity and this in turn allowed more goods to be transported and more people to travel to other countries.