New national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA) has taken delivery of a new Airbus A321 at Phnom Penh International Airport and the new passenger jet will go into service later this week.

The new aircraft will operate 21 flights per week between Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City and 14 flights per week between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh. The airline - which launched July 27 - had seen a steady increase in passenger numbers during the first month of operations. CAA hope to begin flights between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville and the capital and Sihanoukville before the end of 2009 or early in 2010 dependent upon the opening of the new airport. CAA is a joint venture between the government - which owns 51 percent - and Vietnam Airlines as part of a 30-year agreement with an initial investment of $100 million.