First international flight to Siem Reap in 20 months arrives
Despite the threat of travel restrictions rearing their ugly heads again courtesy of Omicron variation fears, Cambodia saw another milestone this week in its careful path to opening up. A December 17 press release from Cambodia Airports and Singapore Airlines announced that milestone with news that the first international flight to Siem Reap in 20 months has touched down.
The arrival of the Singapore Airlines flight marked the first international arrival to Siem reap since March 2020 when Cambodia first started to close its doors due to the pandemic.
To read about Cambodia opening to tourism click here.
When can I get a flight to Siem Reap?
The Singapore to Siem Reap flights are scheduled to run every day on a Boeing 737-8, that according to the company features the airline’s “all new narrow-body cabin products”. We have no idea what this means, but assume its a good thing, as they included it in the press release.
Singapore Airlines is also offering four flights per week from Siem Reap to Singapore via their Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme. These flights allow quarantine free travel from Cambodia to Singapore for eligible customers, with the VTL flights running on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
All other flights between Siem Reap and Singapore are non-VTL flights, which means they follow a different set of protocols.
Zechariah Chai, Singapore Airlines, General Manager Cambodia, noted that, “The re-introduction of international services between Singapore and Siem Reap is great news for our customers, who can resume travel between the cities and connect on to other destinations in our network.”
Is Siem Reap ready for tourists?
While news of Siem Reap actually being open to international tourists is obviously fairly good, the current situation on the ground in the city is slightly less so. The pandemic has hit tourist reliant Siem Reap particular hard with a number of hotels, bars and restaurants being forced to close.
The city has also been going through an as of yet unfinished redevelopment, with roads being widened and other infrastructure improvements being attempted. As things stand this has the city looking a bit more Beirut circa 1985 than a place ready to welcome back millions of guests.
Author: Adam Reeves
An avid traveler and telecommunications expert, Adam has explored over 25 countries, immersing himself in their cultures to discover the best they offer. His passion for connecting people extends from his professional life to his adventures abroad.
