From September 9, next week, foreign tourists who have known Cambodia through Phnom Penh International Airport, formerly Por Chen Tong Airport, will know Cambodia through a new international gateway at the newly built Teochew International Airport, designed to further enhance and transform Cambodia’s image on the international stage. That day marked the beginning of a new era for Cambodian civil aviation, which has been steeped in Cambodian history since 1959.
From that day on, all air transport operations to Phnom Penh, the economic, political, cultural and historical center of Cambodia, will operate through Techo International Airport, after Phnom Penh International Airport operated for the past 66 years.
According to Mr. Mao Havnal, Minister in charge of the Secretariat of State for Civil Aviation, recently stated that everything for the launch of the new airport has been almost completed, built and tested. In addition to the services and operations at the airport already underway, the recent successful test flight of the Airbus A320 commercial aircraft on August 15, 2025. According to the source, during the test, experts tested various operations, including the air navigation system, radio communication, flight control system, mobility and passenger boarding and alighting equipment, etc.
The new airport began construction in 2020 under an investment project by Cambodia Airport Investment Co., Ltd. and was built by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation, with a workforce of male and female workers, as well as many Cambodian experts and engineers involved.
The new airport, with a total cost of approximately $1.5 billion, will be built on 2,600 hectares of land in southern Kandal and Takeo provinces, about 20 kilometers from the capital Phnom Penh. The new airport is classified as a 4F airport, the highest level in the world, capable of handling all types of aircraft, including giant aircraft such as the Airbus A380-800 and Boeing 747-800. The new airport could have a capacity to handle up to 13 million passengers per year in its first phase.
According to the announcement after the opening ceremony on September 9 at 7:00 a.m. local time, the official inauguration ceremony is scheduled for October 20, presided over by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. With this new achievement, Cambodia’s civil aviation sector is expected to enter a new phase of transformation. In the next five years, the new airport will become a regional logistics and aviation hub with global reach, driven by modern infrastructure, strategic partnerships and growing demand.
The new airport will enhance Cambodia’s aviation competitiveness and is expected to help attract major international airlines, boost the economy and tourism sectors, strengthen the potential for regional integration, and especially strengthen partnerships with other countries for the benefit of the nation and people.
Up until now, the reputation and image of each country has been built through this airport, so this new airport is guaranteed to enhance the prestige and image of Cambodia in a new era in the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, and we hope that it will expand the horizons of the Cambodian air transport sector even wider.
