Thailand and Cambodia revise air agreement

BANGKOK The Thai Cabinet ratified, last week, an agreement between Thai and Cambodian civil aviation authorities that removed restrictions on airline seat capacity between the two countries.

Transport Minister, Arkom Termpitayapaisit, said the Cabinet approved a change to the aviation agreement that scraps a clause that limited weekly seat capacity for commercial passenger services between the two countries.

Under the previous bilateral agreement, each country was limited to a maximum of 5,300 seats per week. The new agreement eliminates the seat capacity ceiling allowing airlines to offer as many services as commercially viable.

There are four Thai airlines flying to Cambodia; Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia and Thai Smile. Cambodia Angkor Air is the sole Cambodian airline offering flights to Thailand.

Traffic on routes between Thailand and Cambodia has expanded dramatically. Airlines serve Siem Reap and Phnom Penh from Bangkok.

Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation’s Air Transport director, Vann Chanty, said: “We’ve both agreed to remove the quotas on flights so our airlines can fly without limits.”

“The lifting of bilateral flight and seat limits aims at promoting tourism and investment, and ensuring fair competition in the market,” he said.

Airlines from both countries have also been given approval to fly third country destinations under what is known as the fifth freedom right.

Thai and Cambodian airlines will be able to fly to two destinations under the fifth freedom rights.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports data, 487,487 Cambodian travellers visited Thailand last year down 11.42% from 550,339 visits in 2014.

Meanwhile, 349,908 Thai tourists visited Cambodia, last year, an increase of 25.2% from 279,457 visits in 2014, according Cambodia Ministry of Tourism’s Statistics and Tourism Information Department figure.