Air France becomes first European airline to offer flights to Cambodia
March 31st, 2011 - 8:31 pm ICT by BNO NewsPARIS (BNO NEWS) — After a 37 years absence, Air France is once again offering scheduled flights between Paris and Cambodia. It makes Air France the only European airline to operate flights directly to Cambodia.
The inaugural flight, flight 274, landed in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Thursday. “We are proud to be the first European airline to once again operate scheduled services between Europe and Cambodia, as part of our growth strategy on routes to Asia where we are increasing capacity,” said Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, CEO of Air France KLM.
Gourgeon said the airline will operate three weekly return flights between Paris and Cambodia, promoting economic and cultural ties with the region.
The flights are being operated by Airbus A340-300 aircraft until May 9, after which a Boeing 777-200 aircraft will take over. The route is also expected to help boost the opportunities for transporting goods such as fresh produce and textiles between France and Cambodia. Air France will offer hold space with a weekly cargo capacity of up to 40 tonnes.
The launch of the Paris - Phnom Penh route is part of the Air France KLM group’s growth strategy with a 5.7 percent increase in capacity, with the launch of 11 new destinations in 2011 to Phnom Penh, Bata, Billund, Freetown, Lima, Monrovia, Orlando and Cancun for Air France, and Xiamen, Miami and Aalborg for KLM.
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Tags: 37 years, air france, airbus a340 300, bata, billund, bno, boeing 777 200, cambodian capital, cargo capacity, european airline, fresh produce, growth strategy, inaugural flight, klm, launch, phnom penh, pierre henri, return flights, transporting goods, xiamen