Cambodia last week inaugurated its new Siem Reap international airportbaptized Siem Reap-Angkor (IATA code: SAI), the country’s largest airport and the main gateway for foreign tourists visiting the famous Angkor temples.
The cost of the work, estimated at $1.1 billion, was financed by a Chinese conglomerate, Yunnan Aviation Investment Cambodia Airport (YACA). Operations management is entrusted to NSIA Company, a joint venture owned by two South Korean companies, Camco Airport and Lees A&A.
The site, which covers 700 hectares, offers a 3,600 meter runway that can accommodate wide-body aircraft. The terminal can initially accommodate up to 7 million passengers and 10,000 tonnes of cargo per year. By 2040, it is planned to increase its capacity to 12 million passengers per year. It is located about forty kilometers from the temples of Angkor and about fifty kilometers from the city of Siem Reap.
The new Siem Reap-Angkor airport now replaces Siem Reap airport (IATA code: REP), until now operated by Cambodge Airports, a joint venture majority owned by the French group VINCI Airports.
