VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The long-awaited direct flight between Indonesia and Cambodia will finally be realized this year. Citilink Indonesia, a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia, will launch its inaugural flight for the Jakarta - Phnom Penh route in June 2019 three times a week, 'said the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Sudirman Haseng at the opening of the Press Conference on the Preparation of the Opening of Direct Jakarta Flights - Phnom Penh last weekend at the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism in Phnom Penh.

The Press Conference organized by the Ministry of Tourism was attended by around 45 people consisting of the Minister of Tourism and its staff, tourism and hospitality associations Cambodia, and local media. In the question and answer session, all seemed to rejoice and appreciate the launch of the Indonesia-Cambodia direct flight which is believed to bring the people and the private sector closer together. The leaders of the tourism association also expect cooperation between Citilink and travel / tour operator agents.

"Direct flights Indonesia-Cambodia  are now no longer a dream, but a reality, I thank the Government of Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, Citilink Airline and various other parties for their good support and cooperation in realizing our shared dreams," said Dr. Thong Khon, Cambodian Minister of Tourism at the Press Conference.

Direct flights between Indonesia and Cambodia have gone through various discussions since the inception of this idea. Many Indonesian airlines have studied Cambodia's market share and reports show that market factors are still the main obstacle to realizing these direct flights. "The two Governments agree that direct flights are very important to expand bilateral cooperation relations in various sectors such as trade, tourism and investment and increase people-to-people contacts," the Indonesian Ambassador added.

Meanwhile, Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Heriyanto as a representative of Citilink Indonesia's management said that Jakarta-Phnom Penh direct flights are expected to begin in June 2019 from Soekarno Hatta Airport Low Cost Carier Terminal with 180-seat Airbus A320. The Jakarta-Phnom Penh route is the third new international route this year after Surabaya-Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur. Citilink also has commercial flights to Penang, Dili and Timor Leste. Heriyanto stated that Citilink is an LCC premium that serves free meals and wifi during flights.

The Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh continues to work to convince airlines from Indonesia to open direct flights to Cambodia. Ambassador Sudirman Haseng believes that direct flights will be one of the important stepping stones in improving bilateral relations between Indonesia and Cambodia. In addition, 2019 is a commemoration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, so that Citilink's first flight to Phnom Penh on May 29 is not only a great achievement but also a valuable gift for the anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Cambodia .

Seeing the increase in the number of trips from Cambodia to foreign countries which reached around 2 million tourists last year and the development of the tourism sector in Cambodia which is very good, direct flights are very attractive and will increase the number of tourist visits of the two countries. In 2018, more than 8,000 Cambodians visited Indonesia and more than 55,000 Indonesians visited Cambodia. This flight is also a breakthrough to provide a fast and easy route for more than 3500 Indonesian residents living in Cambodia. With the above considerations, without a doubt the two countries need to work together to improve their tourism destinations and expand cooperation in the interests of both countries.

In the end, the long wait is over and let's hope that this direct flight is the beginning of a new dream in expanding the horizons and relations between the two countries. (Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh)