PHNOM PENH, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's national flag carrier, Air Cambodia, has launched its first direct flight between northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province and southern China's Shenzhen city, the airline operator said in a press release.

Air Cambodia flight K6929 landed at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) on Friday from Shenzhen, carrying a full load of passengers.

"This marks the inauguration of the first direct flight route between Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Shenzhen," the press release said.

The SAI held a water salute to welcome the inaugural flight under the presence of Chea Aun, standing secretary of state at Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, Siem Reap Deputy Governor Ngouv Sengkak, and Hang Sandap, undersecretary of state at Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism, among others.

Zhan David, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Air Cambodia, said the launch of this new route is expected to significantly boost tourist flows from China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to Cambodia.

"It not only facilitates tourism from the Greater Bay Area and beyond but also encourages large numbers of European and American tourists currently in Siem Reap to travel to China," he said.

Zhan added that the new route will also inject fresh momentum into the Cambodia-China Tourism Year 2025.

According to the press release, the direct flight is operated weekly, departing Siem Reap every Thursday at 9:30 p.m. local time and returning from Shenzhen to Siem Reap at 6:20 a.m. on Friday.

The flight includes both business and economy class, with a one-way journey time of approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. ■