Kunming-Cambodia direct flights to be launched later 2012

PHNOM PENH, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Direct flights between China's Kunming city and Cambodia's Siem Reap and Phnom Penh are expected to be launched later this year in order to further promote trade and tourism between the two countries, said a Cambodian government official on Friday.

The plan was announced on Friday during a meeting between visiting Li Jiheng, Governor of China's Yunnan province, and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, Minister of the Council of Ministers (COM), according to Ek Tha, spokesman and deputy director of press unit at the COM.

"In the meeting, His Excellency Li Jiheng sought Cambodia's permission for the upcoming direct commercial flights from Kunming to Cambodia," he said. "It is expected the flights will be launched later this year."

According to Ek Tha, Li told Sok An that a newly built international airport in Kunming city worth more than 2 billion U. S. dollars will be inaugurated on June 28 this year and he had invited Sok An to join the inauguration.

Sok An welcomed the plan for the direct flights, saying that the flights from Yunnan will bring more tourists to Cambodia.

According to the statistics of Cambodia's tourism ministry, Cambodia attracted 247,200 Chinese tourists last year, an increase of 39 percent, making Chinese tourists the third largest arrival group to this Southeastern Asian nation.

Meanwhile, Sok An said attending the airport inauguration would give Cambodia's civil aviation officials a chance to learn a great deal about new developments in civil aviation industry.

Li led a large group of business executives from Yunnan province to visit Cambodia from April 4-6.