Air Cambodia boosts ambitions with landmark Boeing 737 MAX order

Air Cambodia ambitions of a national carrier

“The 737-8 gives Air Cambodia the ideal combination of range, capacity and fuel efficiency to support our next phase of growth,” said Dr. David Zhan, CEO of Air Cambodia. “This investment – Air Cambodia’s largest narrow-body purchase – will let us launch direct services to important markets across North and Southeast Asia, and offer competitively priced travel for passengers, while creating local jobs and training opportunities that strengthen our communities.”

The 737-8, which can fly up to 178 passengers in a two-class configuration with a range up to 3,500 nautical miles (6,480 km), is well-suited to support the airline’s growing regional network. Air Cambodia will benefit from the airplane’s flexible capacity and lower operating costs due to a 20% reduction in fuel use and emissions compared to the airplanes it replaces.

“We are proud to welcome Air Cambodia as our newest 737 MAX customer and look forward to partnering with them to introduce the versatile and reliable 737-8 to the Kingdom of Cambodia,” said Brad McMullen, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing. “We are committed to supporting the growth of aviation in Cambodia and throughout the region as Air Cambodia strengthens ties across Asia with these fuel-efficient airplanes.”

Formerly known as Cambodia Angkor Air when created in 2009, Air Cambodia currently operates a fleet of six single-aisle (Airbus A320/321 and regional jets ATR72 on domestic and international routes to Vietnam, India, Thailand, China, Japan and Hong Kong.

A bunch of new air services from Cambodian air carriers

The carrier launched last October 3 weekly flights from Phnom Penh to Tokyo via Fuzhou with traffic rights on all segments. In January it also started two weekly services to Cam Ranh/Nha Trang, three weekly services to Danang and 4 weekly flights to Phu Quoc. All these new Vietnam flights start from Phnom Penh.

The airline recently changed its logo and corporate image by adding the Giant Ibis, a Cambodian endemic bird species, to its livery.

In another development, other Cambodian carriers are boosting their network from Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh. Cambodia Airways launched in January 3 weekly frequencies to Nanjing and two weekly flights to Vientiane in Laos.

Sky Angkor carrier also opened on February 1, 2026 a daily flight between Phnom Penh and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and will inaugurate on February 8 two weekly services to Chengdu from the Cambodian capital.