Direct private chartered flights from different parts of China to Cambodia are booming as the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Kingdom is mounting, industry insiders told the Post yesterday.

As early as July 10, a chartered flight will launch from Wuhan, the largest city in Central China, to Siem Reap, operating one flight every five days with 178 seats, according to the Wuhan Tourism Administration.

The direct flights are organised by more than 20 local Wuhan tourist agencies. The flights are only offered to customers who buy packages to Angkor Wat.

Another direct private chartered flight from Changsha, a city in Southern China of about 8 million, to Siem Reap, is going up on July 12, according to a release last Friday on the website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The flights, also every five days, are a joint venture between Siem Reap-based Skywings Asia Airlines and the Hunan XinKang International Tourism Company, based in ChangSha.