Cambodian national carrier Royal Air Cambodge suspended all flights on 16 October due to mounting losses, exacerbated by a fall in passenger numbers after September's terrorist attacks on the USA. The airline, the Cambodian Government and holding company Naluri are working on solutions for the airline's future, including seeking new partners, possibly from China.
The seven-year-old Phnom Penh-based carrier operated services to Bangkok, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and domestic services, with two Boeing 737-400s. The carrier had been struggling to compete with new Cambodian airlines.
Meanwhile, more Asian carriers have unveiled cuts due to the industry downturn, although some are launching new services within Asia:
Cathay Pacific Airways is cutting 4% of its flights by reducing services within Asia and to North America. It is however launching a twice-weekly service to Sapporo, Japan, on 2 December. Singapore Airlines is suspending services to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching in Malaysia, as well as to Macau. Korean Air, which has already suspended five long-haul routes and cut services to other international airports, is to launch new services to Akita in Japan, Kunming and Wuhan in China, and Hanoi in Vietnam. All Nippon Airways is to cut more US services in November and December, after initially reducing Guam operations early in October. Tokyo- Chicago and Tokyo-Washington routes will be consolidated to a Tokyo-Chicago-Washington routing, while Nagoya-Honolulu services will be suspended. Tokyo-Seoul and Tokyo-Dalian flights will be increased. Thailand's Angel Air is dropping Phuket-Osaka services. Thai Airways International is looking to reduce Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea services. It is, however, launching new services to Chengdu in China and Mumbai in India while boosting frequencies on some routes within Asia and to Europe.Source: Flight International
