AirAsia is expanding its operations in Cambodia with the launch of flights to Sihanoukville, the country’s main beach resort.

Commencing on 9 August 2017, the new service will operate four times a week direct to and from Kuala Lumpur. AirAsia will be the first airline to operate the route.

As well as the city of Sihanoukville itself, which is already a popular holiday destination, the new service will open up the area’s tropical offshore islands such as Koh Rong. Many of these islands have been earmarked for development, and Six Senses is planning to open its first Cambodian resort on Koh Krabey later this year.

“Sihanoukville is an exciting destination with many untouched gems that have yet to be discovered,” said Spencer Lee, AirAsia’s head of commercial. “We look forward to growing this destination and at the same time connect the people of Sihanoukville across ASEAN and beyond with our extensive network.

“We aim to develop Sihanoukville to become a tourist hotspot like how AirAsia has introduced unique destinations such as Luang Prabang, Banda Aceh and Bhubaneswar among others. We believe this route introduction will be the first vital step to unlock more travel options for visitors into the coastal city,” he added.

The new flights will depart Kuala Lumpur every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 1215 and arrive in Sihanoukville at 1300. The return services will then take off at 1340 and arrive back at KLIA2 at 1630. The new service will take AirAsia Malaysia’s total Cambodian operations to 32 weekly flights – four to Sihanoukville, 14 to Siem Reap and 14 to Phnom Penh.

Sihanoukville Airport only recently opened for international flights, and currently welcomes services from Vietnam and China, as well as domestic flights.