The Turkish handler will now operate a route from Phnom Penh International airport in Cambodia to Istanbul every Saturday, explains Buthay Outdom, manager of GSA-One World Aviation, the freight forwarder that has partnered with carrier. Operating using an Airbus 330, the new route will have the capacity to hold 60 tonnes, having carried 55 tonnes inbound and 52 tonnes outbound on its inaugural flight, Outdom added.
With this move, Turkish Airlines becomes the fourth airline to offer a direct cargo flight out of Phnom Penh International airport and, though the flights are freight-focussed at present, Outdom believes this could set the scene for passenger operations. “We will first focus on freight for now and will consider having a passenger flight within the next year,” he remarked.
Sinn Chanresey Vutha, spokesman for State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said the Turkish Airlines agreement dates back to 2014, and that is predominantly bound for the Middle Eastern marketplace. “The freighters carry primarily luxury goods between Cambodia and the Middle East,” he said.
Looking at the statistics, the air cargo industry in this region is flourishing at present. In the first quarter of 2016, total cargo tonnage at Phnom Penh International airport grew by 17.3% year on year, reaching 10,477 tonnes. This growth is likely to continue as the region sees two additional operators, K Mile and Air-Bridge Cargo, begin freight operations of their own in July this year.
