The Philippines’ Cebu-Pacific Airlines will launch direct flights to Siem Reap from Manila on April 19, according to a Cambodian civil aviation official.

Soy Sokhan, under-secretary of state of the Kingdom’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said the two ASEAN nations had signed a bilateral agreement on April 10 to commence flights between the cities after months of negotiations and market research.

“They will land at Siem Reap International Airport on the 19th with an Airbus 320 at 9:30pm,” he said, adding the planes carried about 150 passengers each.

The Philippine airline sought to take advantage of Siem Reap’s status as a big tourist destination, Soy Sokhan said.

Flights will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and flights between Phnom Penh and Jakarta are expected soon.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon pointed to the new connection as a sign of the region’s continued moves towards economic integration in 2015.

“It shows an improvement in connectivity. The tourism industry cannot grow without connectivity,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: May Kunmakara at [email protected]