Several start-up carriers are in the process of being certified for commercial aviation operations the director general of Cambodia's Secretariat of State Civil Aviation (SSCA) has disclosed.
Speaking to The Phnom Penh Post last week, Keo Sivorn said that among the applicants looking to serve the passenger market is Lanmei Airlines, a Chinese-owned airline registered in Cambodia, and Air Siem Reap. Both have already secured in-principle approval from the Cambodian government alongside JC International Airlines, Small Planet Airlines Cambodia, and Chinese LCC, Spring Airlines.
“We are now reviewing the AOC applications of Lanmei Airlines and JC Airlines,” he said adding that each will potentially launch with two Airbus jets. “In their presentations, they said they plan to fly to China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and [South] Korea."
In terms of cargo market applicants, Keo said that although Phnom Penh Air Cargo (Phnom Penh) gained preliminary approval to operate in the air freight and logistics niche two years ago, it has yet to formally apply for an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC).
Operationally, it plans to operate up to two B737 freighters on flights between Phnom Penh and Nanning in southern China. It will also look to connect Nanning and other ASEAN countries.
Sivorn noted that despite demand, the SSCA only had enough resources to adequately process two to three AOC applications per annum.
The ch-aviation airline database shows that at present, there are four carriers currently active in the scheduled Cambodian passenger market - Bassaka Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, Cambodia Bayon Airlines, and Sky Angkor Airlines. In contrast, only one airline is active in the passenger charter niche - Aero Cambodia. Should Phnom Penh Air Cargo launch, it will be Cambodia's first dedicated freight operator since Russian-owned Imtrec Aviation was shut down over nine years ago following the crash of one of its An-12s in 2007.
