Cambodia, New Zealand sign air services pact

Cambodia signed an agreement with New Zealand on air services on Wednesday to pave the way for the latter's national carrier Air New Zealand to launch direct flights to Cambodia.

The pact was inked between Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An and visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Sok An said the deal was the 24th bilateral air services agreement that Cambodia has signed with friendly countries.

"The agreement is a step forward in enabling direct flights between Cambodia and New Zealand," he said. "I firmly believe that such agreement will play a key role in boosting connectivity, tourism, trade, cultural and people-to-people exchange."

According to Sok An, currently, Cambodian international airports - Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Preah Sihanouk - are accommodating 27 foreign airlines and 4 local airlines, providing more than 200 flight movements per day.

McCully said the agreement would pave the way for the two countries to connect each other through air routes.

"We hope that when there are direct flights between the two countries, there will be more people traveling in both directions, and more New Zealanders will come to visit Cambodia," he said.

According to tourism data, more than 20,000 New Zealanders visited Cambodia last year.

McCully arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday for a two-day visit. Cambodia is his first leg of a two-nation trip, which will also take him to Laos. Endi