The Cambodian government will establish a national airline soon, senior officials said on Sep. 4.

The state-owned aviation company will become a key tool for globally advertising and promoting of the kingdom's tourism industry, because Cambodia expects to attract about two million of foreign tourists this year, said Tourism Minister Thong Khon at the 12th Government-Private Sector Forum.

"Last year Cambodia collected over US$1 billion from the tourism field and the tourist arrivals in the first half of this year increased nearly by 20 percent (over that of last year)," he added.

Also at the forum, Keat Chhon, Minister of Finance and Economy, told reporters that the new airline will be created with cautious management strategies, because Cambodia had learned a lesson from the bankruptcy of the previous national airline, Royal Air Cambodge (RAC), whose debts amounted to millions of U.S. dollars.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hun Sen blamed the failure of RAC for poor management.

"Once before, retired king Norodom Sihanouk planned to fly to China (by RAC flight), but the plane leaked gasoline. We invited the former king back to the Royal Palace and it caused him to delay his trip," Hun Sen said.

Cambodia has a dozen of airlines which are run by the private sector. In June, a Russian plane from the PTM airline crashed in rain-storm in Kompot province, killing all the 22 people aboard, most of them foreign tourists.