By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 14: Cambodia has proposed establishing direct flights between Kuching and Phnom Penh once Sarawak-owned airline AirBorneo begins operations, potentially cutting travel time from over 10 hours to under three.
Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Project Coordinator for Regional Development Agencies, DBKU, and Islamic Affairs) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said the proposal was conveyed by Cambodia’s Senior Minister in Charge of Special Mission (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Dr Othsman Hassan to Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“Among the requests from the Cambodian side to the Premier is to include Phnom Penh as a destination if the Sarawak aviation industry, namely AirBorneo, is established so that we have a route or special flight from Phnom Penh to Kuching and Kuching to Phnom Penh,” he told reporters, as reported by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas).
He said this during a press conference with the Cambodian delegation after a courtesy call on Abang Johari at the Kompleks Satria Pertiwi here today.
According to Othsman, the current journey from Cambodia to Sarawak takes more than 10 hours including a transit in Kuala Lumpur before flying to Kuching, but a direct route would reduce the travel time to less than three hours.
The meeting also discussed an application to send students from Phnom Penh to study at the International Islamic School, which is still under construction.
Dr Abdul Rahman said secondary school students from Phnom Penh will be invited to study at the school in the future.
“Actually, this school is called the International Islamic School because it will take into account the intake of students from Muslim minority countries that are member countries of the Regional Islamic Propagation Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP) including Cambodia which has become a member of RISEAP,” he explained. — DayakDaily
