Cambodia's national airline, Air Cambodia, unveiled an order for 10 Boeing 737 MAX jets on Tuesday, saying it underscored deepening relations with the United States.

The deal, finalised in December, was made public at the Singapore Airshow in the presence of U.S. and Cambodian officials and diplomats. It includes firm orders for 10 planes and the opportunity for another 10, Boeing said.

"Today's signing sends a strong and positive signal...about the deep cooperation between Cambodia and the United States," Cambodia's Civil Aviation Minister Mao Havannall told a news conference.

The deal to buy the jets, first reported by Reuters last August, was part of Cambodia's negotiations to reduce a U.S. tariff on its products from 49% initially threatened, to 19%.

Ties between Cambodia and the United States, its biggest export market, have improved since President Donald Trump returned to office following a period of testy relations under the Biden administration amid concerns about Phnom Penh's human rights record and political freedoms.

The two countries have concluded a trade deal and Cambodia nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in August after he successfully intervened to stop an armed conflict with Thailand. Cambodia last month said it would join Trump's Board of Peace.

The aircraft deal was included in Boeing's order book in December without the name of the airline initially being identified, pending Tuesday's formal air show announcement.

The planemaker had been negotiating for some time with Air Cambodia, which until now has operated European aircraft.

U.S. companies signed foreign government procurement contracts worth $244 billion in 2025 with assistance from the U.S. Commerce Department, nearly triple the total in 2024 as Boeing logged a massive increase in jetliner orders, the agency's International Trade Administration said last month.

-Reporting by Tim Hepher in Singapore; Additional reporting by Martin Petty in Bangkok; Editing by Jamie Freed/Reuters