Emirates Launches Fifth Freedom Route to Cambodia

Emirates announced that it will resume a fifth freedom flight to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Service will start May 1, 2024 from Dubai via Singapore.

The airline will fly a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration with eight first class seats, 42 business class seats, and 310 economy seats.

The flights will operate on the following schedule:

• EK 348: Departs Dubai at 2:30 a.m. arriving in Singapore at 2:05 p.m. The flight then departs from Singapore at 3:35 p.m. arriving in Phnom Penh at 4:35 p.m.
• EK 349: Departs Phnom Penh at 8:50 p.m. arriving in Singapore at 11:50 p.m. The flight then departs from Singapore at 1:40 a.m. the next day and arrives in Dubai at 4:55 a.m.

This network addition is yet another fifth freedom route that Emirates will fly, allowing the airline to serve a new destination that may not have enough demand at the moment to dedicate an entire aircraft for nonstop operations. The airline added another fifth freedom route last week from Dubai to Bogota via Miami.

Another interesting note with this new flight is that Emirates will be the only airline operating a widebody aircraft on the route which could be appealing to many premium travelers. Singapore Airlines is the only other full-service carrier operating the route, but it currently only operates Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. While both airlines still offer lie-flat business class for the short flight, Singapore Airlines does not offer a first class cabin on the route while Emirates will.

Growth in Cambodia

The country is expecting to inaugurate a brand-new international airport in 2025, replacing the current Phnom Penh International Airport. Furthermore, tourism is growing in the region and Cambodia is highlighting some of the unique things the country has to offer. Most notably, Angkor Wat; the massive Buddhist temple complex in a northern province of Cambodia called Siem Reap. It’s even a UNESCO World Heritage site being one of the most important archeological sites of Southeast Asia as the center of the historical Khmer Kingdom.

Cambodia is also focusing on expanding global trade. Emirates is not only seeking to make money shuttling passengers around, but also cargo. The aircraft Emirates will be using for this route offers 300 tons of cargo capacity in and out of Phnom Penh. Some of the commodities expected to be exported from the country include pharmaceuticals and other high-value goods such as high-end apparel and footwear.

This new route opens up more options to fly to the country and there is the additional benefit of the fifth freedom flight to get between Phnom Penh and Singapore.

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Hemal Gosai

Hemal took his first flight at four years old and has been an avgeek since then. When he isn't working as an analyst he's frequently found outside watching planes fly overhead or flying in them. His favorite plane is the 747-8i which Lufthansa thankfully flies to EWR allowing for some great spotting. He firmly believes that the best way to fly between JFK and BOS is via DFW and is always willing to go for that extra elite qualifying mile. Hemal's opinions are his own and do not reflect those of his employer.

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