WASHINGTON, D.C. / PHNOM PENH — Cambodia and the United States have formalized a historic Open Skies Agreement, establishing the first-ever bilateral air transport framework to revolutionize civil aviation, expand direct flight options, and capitalize on booming transpacific trade routes.
The milestone accord was signed on June 30, 2026, in Washington, D.C., by H.E. Dr. Mao Havannall, Cambodia’s Minister-in-Charge of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), and H.E. Christopher Landau, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.
According to an official SSCA communique released on Wednesday, the regulatory framework modernizes aviation ties between Phnom Penh and Washington to meet contemporary global standards. The treaty removes restrictive operational barriers, enabling commercial airlines to offer more flexible schedules, enhanced routing efficiency, and cost-effective pricing for both passenger transport and international air freight.
A pivotal technical breakthrough within the treaty is the mutual granting of “all-cargo seventh-freedom traffic rights.” This advanced aviation provision legally empowers air cargo carriers to operate continuous logistics routes between the United States and third-party nations without being restricted by mandatory routing or intermediate touchdowns at a domestic hub in Cambodia.
The activation of these rights directly aligns with shifts in Cambodia’s aviation sector. Official SSCA intelligence tracking the first five months of 2026 revealed a distinct divergence in traffic: while total air passenger traffic contracted by 6 percent year-over-year to 2.87 million, air cargo volumes experienced a massive 34 percent surge, hitting 38,951 tonnes due to heightened global and regional supply chain demands.
The aviation pact further underscores a ripening commercial partnership between the two economies. The treaty comes on the heels of a massive US$100 million Letter of Intent approved by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) targeted at financing infrastructure development for Phnom Penh’s new premium gateway, Techo International Airport (KTI).
Under the economic master plan of Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Cambodia has aggressively prioritized expanding its international civil aviation footprint. The Kingdom currently hosts 35 active airlines—including 31 foreign carriers—linking Cambodia to major networks across ASEAN, East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.
The new statutory agreement governs Cambodia’s core international hubs, which include the newly engineered Techo International Airport, Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, and Sihanouk International Airport, while the Dara Sakor hub currently remains limited to domestic transit.
