The State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) has expressed support for the Ministry of Tourism’s interest in strengthening air connectivity with Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries, following Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet’s official visit to Kazakhstan.
SSCA spokesperson Sinn Chanserey Vutha said the secretariat was ready to work with foreign aviation authorities, airlines and airport operators to explore additional connectivity opportunities.
Besides Kazakhstan, potential markets include Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, through connecting flights and direct services, where commercially viable, he explained.
“Resuming direct flights could reduce travel time, improve convenience and expand opportunities to attract tourists from Kazakhstan and Central Asia,” he said.
“Such connectivity could also boost demand for aviation services, hotels and tourism businesses, create jobs and support tourism market diversification, as well as trade exchanges and people-to-people relations between the two countries,” he added.
On October 17, during a visit to Kazakhstan to attend the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Hun Manet held talks with Kursad Bakir, founder and chief executive officer of Selfie Travel Asia.
During the meeting, Bakir briefed the prime minister on the company’s core business operations in aviation and air travel services. He outlined the company’s previous operations transporting tourists from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, to Sihanoukville, a service that was suspended in 2024.
The CEO said the company intended to resume the service and seek support from the Cambodian government to ensure a smooth restart of its operations.
Manet welcomed the initiative and advised the company to engage directly with Cambodia’s tourism ministry.
He encouraged the company to identify competitive packaged tourism products for discussion with the ministry to seek positive solutions.
Data from the SSCA showed that Cambodia’s three international airports — Techo International Airport (KTI), Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) and Sihanoukville International Airport (KOS) — handled a combined 4,558,155 passengers from January to September 2026, down 11% from the same period in 2025.
The number of two-way flight movements totalled 46,721 during the nine-month period, representing a 2% decline year-on-year.
Cambodia currently has 35 airlines operating flights to and from the country, comprising four domestic carriers and 31 international airlines.