PHNOM PENH: The Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, the new international airport in Siem Reap cultural province, will be put into official use on Oct. 16, 2023, contributing to boosting the tourism sector, and thus the Cambodian economic growth.

The schedule was shared by H.E. Sin Chansereyvutha, Under Secretary of State and Spokesperson for the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), during the visit of a delegation of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA) to the airport on July 17.

On the occasion, the spokesperson also affirmed that air transport activity in Cambodia has been restored by 50 percent compared to that in 2019, the pre-pandemic period.

Mr. LU Wei, Chairman of Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. (AIAI), said that the new airport will promote aviation development, facilitate the visit to the great Angkor temples, attract more Chinese tourists to Cambodia, and boost tourism development.

Ms. Chhay Sivlin, President of CATA, expressed her pride with the new airport, saying that this is a good factor to support the mission to promote Cambodia as “A Stand Alone Destination” and the airport will be an important asset for the future of Cambodia's tourism.

The Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is located in Tayek commune, Sotr Nikum district, about 51 kilometers from Siem Reap provincial city and 40 kilometers from Angkor Wat Temple.

The construction of the airport began in Mar. 2020 and the US$880-million worth airport is a 4E class that can handle long-haul aircraft.

In the first six months of this year, the international airports in Phnom Penh's capital and the provinces of Siem Reap and Preah Sihanouk received a total of 2.48 million passengers, a skyrocketing increase of 270 percent compared to the same period last year, according to an SSCA's report.