Cambodia poised for more double-digit growth as Cambodia Angkor Air expands and Qatar Airways enters

The Cambodian market is poised for more rapid growth in 2013 after quietly expanding by 18% in 2012, making it one of the fastest growing markets in Asia. Flag carrier Cambodia Angkor Air is pursuing significant expansion albeit from a very small base while international carriers are also continuing to add services in the Cambodian market.

The Mar-2013 suspension of service from Air France, which became in 2011 the first European carrier to serve Cambodia in decades, is a blow for the country's emerging economy and tourism industry. But the loss of Air France is being offset by the addition of Qatar Airways, which will become in Feb-2013 the first Gulf carrier to serve Cambodia. Qatar could be followed by other Gulf carriers as well as more LCCs from the more traditional markets of Southeast and North Asia, which in recent years have been consistently building up their operations in Cambodia.