Cambodia Angkor Air plans to launch chartered flights between Siem Reap and the southeastern coastal Chinese city of Xiamen next month.

The national flag carrier plans to take off for China for the first time on July 11, CAA Chairman Tek Reth Samrach said yesterday, the same month it plans its first scheduled flight to the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Tek Reth Samrach said besides Xiamen, the airline seeks to serve two, three or fours destinations in China with chartered flights. “We are now negotiating with the [tour] operators,” he said.

The announcement comes amid expansion plans for CAA – which launched operations in 2009 – to destinations including South Korea, Hong Kong and India.

Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism show that 25,906 Chinese tourists visited Cambodia in the first quarter of this year, a 6.9 per cent increase compared with 24,225 in the same period the year before.