Qatar Airways has resumed its daily flights to Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, via Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, the airline operator said on Monday. The first flight landed at the Phnom Penh International Airport on Sunday afternoon. Qatar Airways country manager for Vietnam and Cambodia, Vu Thi Thanh Huong, said the airline was delighted to resume daily services to Phnom Penh. "This route not only strengthens our commitment to the Cambodian market but also opens up new travel possibilities for our passengers," she said in a statement. Cyril Girot, CEO of Cambodia Airports, a subsidiary of VINCI Airports, said the resumption of daily flights between Doha and the Gulf Region and the Cambodian capital "is a very positive sign for Cambodia's leisure industry and the business community."<br/>
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SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka's national carrier, decided to operate flights between Colombo and Pakistan's Lahore city four times a week with the new addition effective from Oct. 31, a company statement said on Monday. The airlines said flights will operate every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday with the new addition. "The frequency boost generates a 20% rise in capacity on the route for an average total of about 900 seats between Colombo and Lahore every week, delivering greater flight options, connections and convenience to customers in Pakistan," it said. SriLankan Airlines said it also operates flights four times a week to Karachi in southern Pakistan.<br/>
Qantas Airways said a regulator lawsuit accusing it of illegally selling thousands of tickets for cancelled flights ignores business realities, adding that most impacted travellers were put on other flights or reimbursed. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which sued the country's flagship carrier in August, has said that in some cases, flights were on sale for several weeks after cancellation. "The ACCC's case ignores a fundamental reality and a key condition that applies when airlines sell a ticket," Qantas said in a statement on Monday. "While all airlines work hard to operate flights at their scheduled times, no airline can guarantee that," it added, noting weather conditions and other unforeseen problems make delays and cancellations "inevitable and unavoidable". In its defence filed to the Federal Court, Qantas said it was responsible for "many unacceptable delays" as it sought to restart international travel in 2022 after COVID restrictions were lifted.<br/>But it added that its actions never amounted to charging a "fee for no service", as the ACCC has accused it of doing, "because customers were reaccommodated on other flights as close as possible to their original time or offered a full refund". The ACCC declined to comment, saying the matter was before the court.<br/>
Qantas is to add direct flights between Perth and Paris, the newest point in its European network, as it resumes flights to the Chinese city of Shanghai. The airline on 29 October said it would launch Perth-Paris flights from 12 July, in time for the 2024 summer Olympics. The flights, which will be operated by Boeing 787-9s, will operate four times a week, before being cut to thrice weekly in mid-August. It is the latest European non-stop from Perth that Qantas has rolled out since international borders reopened after Covid-19. The Oneworld operator has non-stop flights to London and Rome from the western Australian city. Qantas also restarted operations to Shanghai on 29 October, marking its return to Mainland China after a pandemic hiatus of over three years. The Sydney-Shanghai flights, which are operated five times weekly by Airbus A330s, is also the final pre-pandemic route to be restored, the airline states. Qantas international CEO Cam Wallace says the resumption of Shanghai flights “would benefit tourism and help strengthen important trade links”. Shanghai was the carrier’s sole destination in Mainland China – Qantas also flies to Hong Kong from Sydney and Melbourne. Two carriers are also set to resume more flights in their international networks: Air China will restore twice-weekly flights between Beijing and San Francisco from 1 November, as part of a wider North American network recovery by Chinese carriers. Thai Airways International, meanwhile, has returned to Vietnam, taking over operations from regional unit Thai Smile, which is in the process of being merged into the parent company. The airline on 29 October resumed flights with its code to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city. Separately, other carriers have increased flights between Japan and Korea. Korean low-cost operator Air Seoul launched thrice-weekly flights between Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon. Compatriot Jin Air started daily flights between Tokyo Narita and Busan on 29 October, operated by 737-800s. The airline, a sister unit to national carrier Korean Air, also flies to Tokyo Narita from Seoul Incheon. Australian low-cost operator Jetstar, meanwhile, launched flights from Tokyo Narita to Brisbane on 29 October. The five weekly flights are operated by 787-8s, and replace Jetstar’s Gold Coast service. Indian operator Vistara announced it would begin flying to Bali from its Delhi hub from 1 December, making it the only Indian carrier to fly between the two cities. The daily flights will be operated with A321LRs, the airline adds. On 29 October, the airline also launched daily flights to Hong Kong from the Indian capital. <br/>