Air Cambodia to Launch Tokyo Flights by Year’s End

Air Cambodia will begin flights between Phnom Penh and Tokyo before the end of 2025, marking a significant step in restoring direct air links between the Kingdom and Japan after a four-year hiatus.

The announcement comes after Cambodia’s top aviation official, Mao Havannall, signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese counterparts in late June. The deal allows the national carrier to re-enter the Japanese market, with plans to expand services to Osaka in the near future.

“Flights to Tokyo will begin this year with a stopover in China,” said Sinn Chanserey Vutha, secretary of state at the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation. “A direct route to Osaka is under discussion, but it will come later.”

The move is seen as both a diplomatic and economic boost. Officials say the new route will support trade, tourism and cargo transport, especially as the region continues to rebound from the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cambodia and Japan have seen strengthening ties across multiple sectors. Bilateral trade rose 28% in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reaching $1.02 billion. Tourist numbers are also climbing, with nearly 49,000 Japanese visitors entering Cambodia between January and May, a 5.5% increase year-on-year.

Air Cambodia’s Tokyo route fills a gap left by Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA), which cancelled its direct flights in 2021 due to low demand. ANA is rumoured to be eyeing a return in 2026.

Aviation traffic overall is on the rise. Cambodia’s three main airports recorded over 3 million passengers and nearly 30,000 flights in the first five months of 2025 — both figures up markedly from last year.

Officials hope the Tokyo service will serve as a launchpad for further expansion. For now, it signals a renewed effort to position Cambodia as a more connected regional hub — and to deepen ties with one of Asia’s key economic partners.

-2025-07-18