Air Cambodia's Hainan agreement now has its first planned routes

The June agreement created a framework, not an instant route launch

The MoU set out phased route development between Cambodia and China's Hainan province. Cambodia's state news agency also reported that the partners intended to make use of Fifth and Seventh Freedom traffic rights where approvals and operating conditions allow.

Those terms matter because they describe different kinds of international flying. Fifth Freedom rights can let an airline carry local traffic between two foreign countries when that sector forms part of a service linked to the airline's home country. Seventh Freedom rights can allow a carrier to operate between two foreign countries without routing the service through its home state at all. The June announcement explicitly said future routes and traffic-right use would still depend on regulatory approval, operational readiness and commercial viability.

For practical context, see Cambodia market and country comparisons. This development also connects with Cambodia and U.S. Sign First Bilateral Air Transport Deal.

September schedules put dates against two Hainan-related services

A September schedule filing lists Phnom Penh–Haikou three times weekly from 16 December 2026, using the COMAC C909. That is a meaningful step beyond the MoU because the planned service now has a start date and frequency, although it remains a future timetable as of 22 September.

Air Cambodia also filed a twice-weekly Phnom Penh–Sanya–Vladivostok service from 17 December on the Airbus A320. The Sanya–Vladivostok sector is a practical example of Fifth Freedom flying: a Cambodian airline plans to sell transport between China and Russia as part of a service that continues to and from Cambodia. The September network update does not identify a separate stand-alone Seventh Freedom route, so that element of the June cooperation should still be treated as a framework for possible expansion rather than an operating service.

What travellers can use now is the timetable, with caution

For Cambodia-based travellers, Haikou would add another direct Hainan option if the December launch goes ahead. The Sanya routing is also notable because it extends Air Cambodia's network beyond simple Cambodia-to-destination flying and creates a new connection into Russia's Far East.

An agreement, a filed schedule and a flight that is actually operating are three different stages. A filed December service is much more actionable than the original MoU, but timings, frequencies, aircraft and launch dates can still be revised before departure. Anyone planning around these routes should therefore confirm the specific flight for their travel date rather than assuming the full June cooperation plan is already in service.