Cambodia grants air operator certificate to Chinese-invested airliner

PHNOM PENH -- The Cambodia's civil aviation authority on Tuesday awarded an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to a new Chinese-invested Cambodia Bayon Airlines (CBA), which is scheduled to take to the skies by the end of this month.

Keo Sivorn, director general of the Cambodia's Civil Aviation, presented the AOC to CBA's president and chief executive officer Liu Jia, making the CBA Cambodia's newest airline.

"It is another milestone in the history of Cambodian civil aviation. I am optimistic that we can build a sound and sustainable Cambodian aviation industry," he said during the awarding ceremony, adding that CBA will make a major contribution to the development of Cambodia's economy and aviation industry.

Sivorn said the awarding of the AOC to CBA came after the airline had recently completed the long and complex process required by the Cambodia's Civil Aviation.

According to the official, this year alone, Cambodia's Civil Aviation had certified three new airlines and is expected to see one or two more next year.

CBA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

The airline is looking forward to working closely with the Cambodia's Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry to help grow the country's economy, said Liu Jia.

CBA plans to commence operations by the end of this month with initial direct flights between capital Phnom Penh and Siem Reap cultural province three times weekly, according to the company's press release.

The airline will operate MA60 turboprop-powered aircrafts on domestic routes in Cambodia and later the Airbus A320 to international destinations.

CBA signed to purchase twenty MA60 aircrafts from Xi'an Aircraft Industry Co. in August. The airline announced that within five years, it will use twenty MA60 aircrafts and ten A320 trunk liners to cover domestic routes and to connect Cambodia to ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea.