By the end of this year, Cambodia is all set to add more airport capacity to its existing facilities with the opening of the new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport. “The new airport is expected to be put into operation in October 2023,” said Tek Reth Samrach, Secretary of State at the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on Monday.
Spread over 700 hectares of land, the 4E-level international airport is located in Soutr Nikom district, around 40 km from the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park and 50 km from Siem Reap provincial town.
The airport with a 3,600-metre-long and 45-metre-wide runway can facilitate the landing of all kinds of aircraft. A 4E-level airport can accommodate aircraft with a “reference field length” of 1,800 metres and above and a wingspan of up to 65 metres.
According to the Steering Committee for the Construction of the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, 63 percent of the total construction work has been completed, and by the end of this March around 90 percent of the work is set to be over. This was stated in a press statement issued after an annual meeting of the steering committee, led by Samrach.
“As of December 31, 2022, the airport construction has achieved 63 percent (completion),” and the airport developer company is committed to “achieving 90 percent by the end of March 2023,” it said.
For terminal buildings, 70 percent of the work has been completed, which included 100 percent of the civil works of the terminal buildings, 99 percent of the steel structure works, 95 percent of the E&M installation works, 90 percent of the glass curtain wall works, 80 percent of the metal roofing works, 50 percent of the fit-out works, and 65 percent of the luggage treatment system works, said a report on the project by Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co Ltd.
The construction will be officially declared complete after the inspection of the technical team and specialised units, which will review the operating conditions and facilities of the airport. By 2030, the new airport is likely to have a 10 million passenger handling capacity.
The airport is being developed by Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co Ltd, an affiliate of Yunnan Investment Holding Group Co Ltd of China. The $880 million airport project work was launched in March 2020.
Addressing the meeting at the project site, Samrach said the company displayed a very high commitment towards the completion of the project despite the problems caused due to the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted life across the world.
“The company has successfully got through the most difficult time in the implementation of the project,” the Secretary of State at the Council of Ministers said, according to the press release.
The new airport is expected to boost tourism and the economy of the country as more tourists – both leisure and business – will be able to visit in a comfortable manner.
Prime Minister Hun Sen recently said the new Siem Reap International Airport will play a major role in increasing the country’s economy and tourism when it opens in late 2023. “This large-scale international airport will bring a boost to the economic development in our northern region, including the provinces of Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, Kampong Thom, and Preah Vihear,” he said.
“It’s another new achievement that will not only contribute to the development of Cambodia’s tourism and economy but also directly benefit people living around the area,” Samrach was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
To meet the demand of a growing economy, air passenger traffic, and increasing prominence in Southeast Asia, Cambodia has continuously been expanding and upgrading
its airports.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
