Jul. 27--PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia launched its new national airline Monday as a joint venture with Vietnam Airlines after its previous one went bankrupt nearly a decade ago.

Cambodia Angkor Air, in which the Cambodian government owns a 51 percent stake and Vietnam's state-owned airline holds the remainder, will fly to destinations in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

To mark the launching, two of the airline's ATR 72 twin-turboprop, short-haul aircraft took off from the capital Phnom Penh, one bound for the northern town of Siem Reap and the other for the port city of Sihanoukeville on the southwestern coast.

At the launch ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the new airline will contribute to Cambodia's tourism industry, which accounts for 12 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

In 2001, Royal Air Cambodge, a joint venture with Malaysia Helicopter Services, closed down in 2001 after going bankrupt.

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