Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport

Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport[lower-alpha 1] (IATA: SAI, ICAO: VDSA), is an international airport located in Soutr Nikom District, Siem Reap province which serves the city of Siem Reap, Cambodia. It lies 18 km (11 mi) northeast of Damdek, 40 km (25 mi) east of Angkor Wat and 50 km (31 mi) east of Siem Reap. It replaced the existing Siem Reap International Airport as the city’s main airport, and serves as the main airport for the province as well as for Western Cambodia. Upon its opening, it also became the largest airport in Cambodia.[2] Construction started in July 2018 and was expected to be completed in 2021/22, but the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a labour shortage delayed completion of the airport. The airport opened on 16 October 2023.[3] SAI covers an area of 700 hectares (1,730 acres) of land and has a 3,600m runway,[4] surpassing Phnom Penh International Airport as Cambodia's largest airport.[1]

Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport

អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ
Aéroport International de Siem Reap-Angkor
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorYunnan Aviation Industry Investment Group[1]
ServesSiem Reap
LocationSotr Nikum, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Opened16 October 2023 (2023-10-16)[2][3]
Hub for
Focus city forVietnam Airlines
Operating base forAirAsia Cambodia
Coordinates13°22′31″N 104°13′15″E
Websiteenglish.sai-airport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05/23 3,605 11,827 Concrete

History

Due to growing demands and traffic, the existing Siem Reap International Airport will not be able to cope in the future, as it is already running in its constraining capacity of over 10 million passengers per annum. So, to handle the future traffic, the Government of Cambodia decided to build a new, replacement airport for Siem Reap. The project was first introduced in 2010,[5] and a Chinese company, Yunnan Investment Holdings Limited, was selected to build the airport in December 2016. The airport was constructed under a 55 year build-operate-transfer agreement.[6]

Another reason for the project is to address air pollution concerns. It was found that emissions from the existing airport, which was much closer to the Angkor Wat Temple Complex than the new airport,[6] and the city's excessive air pollution overall are causing damage to the Angkor Wat Temple Complex. If unchecked, this may result in the erasing of carvings and other damage to the entire complex.[7] In view of these issues, once the airport was opened, all commercial flights were shifted here from the older airport, which was closed.[3][8]

Features

The airport is being built in three phases, at a cost of US$1.1 billion and on an area of 700 hectares, The airport has a passenger terminal with 15 aerobridges, a cargo terminal, an Air Traffic Control Tower, a 3,605 metre runway with a parallel taxiway. The terminal can handle 7 million passengers per year in the first phase.[6]

The airport's runway is initially capable of handling narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, while in the second phase, the runway will be expanded to handle wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 747, Boeing 777, Boeing 787, Airbus A330, and Airbus A350, and will increase the airport's capacity to 12 million passengers per year, by 2030.[6] The third phase, planned for completion by 2050, will increase the total capacity to over 20 million passengers per year. The airport is planned to be connected with an airport expressway directly from the city.[9][2]

Ground transportation services are provided by minibuses with up to 15 seats charging US$8 per person for shared rides, and minivans with up to 7 seats charging US$40 for private transfers.[10]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur–International[11]
Bangkok Airways Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi[12]
Cambodia Angkor Air Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville[13]
China Eastern Airlines Kunming (begins 12 November 2023), Shanghai–Pudong (begins 31 March 2024)
Lao Airlines Pakse
Singapore Airlines Singapore[14]
Sky Angkor Airlines Seoul–Incheon (begins 28 December 2023)
Charter: Cheongju, Muan
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang[11]
Thai Smile Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi (begins 29 October 2023)
Vietnam Airlines Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Luang Prabang[15]

See also

Notes
  1. Khmer: អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិសៀមរាប-អង្គរ, French: Aéroport International de Siem Reap-Angkor

References
  1. "Cambodia's newest and biggest airport opens in Siem Reap, the gateway to UNESCO-listed Angkor". CNN. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  2. "New Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport New Airport Profile | CAPA". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  3. Cheang, Sopheng (16 October 2023). "Cambodia opens new airport to serve Angkor Wat as it seeks to boost tourist arrivals". ABC News. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  4. "Cambodia Opens New Airport To Serve Angkor Wat". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  5. Govindasamy, Siva (22 September 2010). "Cambodia eyes new airport for Siem Reap". Flight Global. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  6. Kenyon, Barry (18 October 2023). "New Cambodian airport opens in Siem Reap". Pattaya Mail. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  7. "In Cambodia, Toxic Air Threatens Timeless Ruins". www.nbcnews.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  8. "Feature: High hopes for Cambodia's touristic, economic growth as Chinese-invested airport starts operation". Xinhua News. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  9. "New Road Siem Reap Link to Angkor International Airport Good Opportunity Invest". www.cambodiaproperty.info. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  10. "Bus and taxi services at new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport detailed - Khmer Times". 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  11. "AirAsia relocates to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport". TIG Asia. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  12. "Bangkok Airways Siem Reap Service Changes From mid-Oct 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  13. "Changing Airport in Siem Reap to customers". Cambodia Angkor Air. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  14. "Relocation of Siem Reap airport operations". Singapore Airlines. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  15. "Transferring to Siem Reap Angkor International Airport". Vietnam Airlines. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
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