The Techo Takhmao International Airport is a joint venture between the Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC), the Royal Government of Cambodia, and the SSCA called the Cambodia Airport Investment (CAIC) - the largest investment group and local conglomerate in Cambodia.
With the site under construction and not due for completion until 2024 before heading into operation in 2025, CAIC has the rights to own, design, construct, finance, operate, maintain and manage the project. The vast scale of the airport means it will be able to cater for larger Airbus A380s and other passenger and cargo transport aircraft - plans are in place to make it a key international transit hub.
It was confirmed in late 2022 that well-regarded international airport operator Changi Airports International (CAI) was also brought into the fold.
Lenen Mar Porras, the Head of the Marketing and Creative Division at Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation and Mega Asset Management Co, told us: “We are activating Changi International Airports to help out with meeting areas, food and beverage, retail etc. at the new Phnom Penh airport. I think they will partly be involved with the marketing as well for the first phase of the airport.”
The addition of the Singaporean company brought added trust to this ambitious and large-scale project as there were some question marks raised when the airport was initially announced a few years ago, especially with the location and the since-reported development cost of USD $1.5 billion.
Porras added on having Changi on board: “They manage one of the most popular airports in the world (Changi Singapore) and we need to complement each other as our airport will be bigger in terms of land size. We are looking at bringing some of the biggest international brands to the Phnom Penh airport and to our other retail businesses as well.”
On the diversity of retail outlets planned to be offered at the Techo Takhmao International Airport, she added “Every country in ASEAN will be represented in the airport is my initial understanding, so, for example, there will be an area offering traditional Cambodian arts, crafts and foods and another one might offer Indonesian food and wares, so it's promoting the whole ASEAN region.”
Techo Takhmao International Airport - Phnom Penh
The airport is located around 35 kilometres south of Phnom Penh and will replace the existing Phnom Penh International Airport as the Cambodian capital’s main airport.
Spanning over 2,600 hectares (6,400 acres) in Kandal Province, the airport will be larger than the Changi Airport in Singapore and is due to be the ninth largest airport in the world - importantly it will be designated as a 4F class airport allowing for the aforementioned larger aircraft to make use of the transport hub.
Porras said of the ambitions for the operational airport, “The plan is for the airport to be an international hub, and if not the biggest in the world, then one of the biggest in Asia which can accommodate connecting flights globally….that's why we are working with the best of the best in this field (such as Changi) so that whatever vision we have can be achieved.”
The current Phnom Penh International Airport can not be extended any further and has been caught up in the rapid urban sprawl of a rapidly changing city.
The ambitions for the new airport are lofty but not unrealistic. Porras said, “I think that Phnom Penh right now is the perfect place with the way it's developing - it's the fastest progressing country in Southeast Asia and it's the best time possible to invest in Cambodia.”
According to the master plan, the new airport will handle 13 million passengers a year in the first phase, 30 million passengers in the second phase in 2030, and up to 50 million passengers in 2050 in the third phase.
In September 2023, the Ministry of Land Management and Urban Planning claimed that the new Takhmao Techo Airport was now more than 50 per cent complete.
Phnom Penh International Airport Connectivity
A highway is being constructed to connect the airport to the southern part of Hun Sen Boulevard (which is located to the south of the capital). The road will be 60m wide and 13.5 km long, and by July 2023, construction of this key access road to the airport was halfway done. It is expected to be completed by 2024.
In July 2023, the idea of a light railway connecting the city to the new airport was first publically considered, and could even form part of a larger urban railway project. Although these have been mulled over the years and several feasibility studies carried out, new Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is keen on the idea of a skytrain and subway train project for Phnom Penh.
One suggested idea was to have a light rail line run from Techo International Airport (TIA) to Phnom Penh, with a station at or near AEON MALL Mean Chey to the south of the city. A Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) Public Service Center has since been established at the Aeon Mall Meanchey.
New Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement & Air Routes
According to the Asia Development Bank (ADB), pre-pandemic, Cambodia was connected to 14 markets, all within Asia, and had flights with eight SEA nations – Only Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste do not have nonstop connections with Cambodia.
The ADB suggested that the Kingdom should develop routes with key markets such as India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, while routes with Australia, Europe, and North America are also important source markets. In 2023, new direct air routes have been suggested for Turkmenistan (and Central Asia) and India,
- The Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement (CATA) between the ASEAN and European Union (EU) is also expected to boost travel between the two regions. The CATA allows airlines to operate as many flights as possible between the regions and in effect replaces the 140 different bilateral air transport pacts signed in the past by the countries in the two regions with a single set of rules.
- The ASEAN-New Zealand Air Services Agreement (ANZ-ASA) was also signed in September 2023 which could open up passenger and/or cargo services between ASEAN and New Zealand.
All of signs point towards growth in the Kingdom and the region. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) said in Q3 2023 that it anticipates business travel in Asia Pacific to see significant growth and that business travellers in APAC may spend less per business trip but will seek more premium options and blended travel than corporate travellers in other global regions.
The new Siem Reap International Airport (SIA) will also be operating in October 2023.
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