Cambodia's Angkor Airways is to launch a direct flight between the central Chinese city of Wuhan and Siem Reap, home of Cambodia's famous Angkor temples from February 12.

Lin Hua, of the Tianhe Airport in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, said the airline would operate a regular service every six days between February 12 and March 10, before raising the number to two flights per week.

The flight would take three hours and 40 minutes one way, Lin said.

The flight would depart Siem Reap at 9:40 AM local time and land in Wuhan at 2:20 PM local time, and the return flight would depart at 3:20 PM, Lin said.

"The new international flight will boost the tourism cooperation between Cambodia and central China's regions," Lin said.

Angkor Airways also planned to open a direct service between Wuhan and Phnom Penh before the traditional Chinese Spring Festival which falls on February 18, said Zheng Min, a senior executive of the company's China office.

Last year, the company launched a direct flight between Phnom Penh and the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, and between Siem Reap and the southwestern city of Kunming, she said.

"Ever since, Chinese tourists to Angkor have been increasing," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2007)