Cambodia to Build two more International Airports

Phnom Penh International Airport which is relatively small.

Two new international airport plants based near Phnom Penh and Siem Reap were declared aiming to help accommodate the growing number of passengers which is projected to rise gradually over the years, while the two existing airports are narrow to handle.

A new airport will be constructed somewhere bit far from Phnom Penh as there is no available terrace found in the Capital, while another one is set to build about 60 km off the Siem Reap provincial town on a 500 hectares concessional land.

Cambodia is aiming to receive around 10 million tourists by 2020, while the existing airports are quite small, and the new two airports will be able to fulfill this aim as teach of them can receive up to 10 million passengers or even more a year with the full operation.

So far, Cambodia has covered by three existing international airports, and 9 local airports. Phnom Penh international Airport and Siem Reap international airport have been fully operated, and about 4 million passengers are estimated to across these two gates in 2012.

Anyway, the Kingdom’s two existing airports will be expanded to welcome more carriers which was scheduled to be finished by the end of 2014 or early 2015.

The expansion works for both airports will double their handling capacity to five million passengers a year.

Sihanoukville International airport, on a separate case, is on the expansion plan, and is expected to fully run in the next few years. As expected these three airports can accommodate a combined number of around 10 million passengers in 2015.

Flooding Hit Cambodia’s Tourism Hub Again but Fine

Angkor Wat at darn.

Floods is covering Cambodian’s major tourism zone again this month, but the situation is less serious than last year’s deadly flooding, through better disaster management measures.

The continual raining and huge water-inflow from Thailand’s rivers have been pouring over some parts of Siem Reap, and Banteay Meanchey, especially Poipet city, which are the tourism hub and the main international gate that tourist can go across the border between Cambodia and Thailand.

Thanks to better preparedness, and awareness since late last year, the situation is manageable unlike last year’s flood that it arrived some major visiting sites such as Banteay Chmar temple, and even trapped many tourists there.

Cambodian authorities have been planning since early the year to better manage and mitigate the disaster, especially on the heart of the country’s cultural attraction such as Angkor Wat, and Poipet tourist gate that play crucial role to attract major arrivals.

Dikes, and many irrigation systems to protect and remove water from the safeguard areas, have been constructed, and now officials are facilitating water to flow out of those inundated areas along the pre-set water systems to pour into the Great Lake. 

Anyway, besides entering the Kingdom through Poipet gate, visitors can directly land on Siem Reap international airports by many far and near direct flights or enter via other land routes such as from Pursat.

Cambodia lost over $600 million, about 5% of GDP from last year’ flooding which hit 1.7 million victims in 17 provinces—a five times greater than the destruction caused by Ketsana hurricane that attacked Cambodia in 2009, according to ADB data.

 

In 7 months, 2012, Siem Reap was reported to welcome more than 1.5 million international arrivals, which is more than expected, and even more than the same period last year. Authority predict the province alone can receive up to 2 million end this year, but it is optimistic that this home of Angkor Wat can see more than 2 million arrivals, as the 5 remaining months still stretch in the high season of the year.

 

More Direct Flights to Cambodia

Constant direct flight openings were set up gradually recently as Cambodia has now been on the map of globalization due to her large stock of pure attractions, that many have known, but few have visited.

So far all ASEAN countries have set up direct flights to Cambodia except Brunei. The Philippines’ flagship airline— Cebu Pacific just landed its first airplane in Siem Reap in April this year, scheduling three flights per week.

Indonesia, soon this year will fly its flagship aircraft from Jakarta to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, since both governments have already signed the framework agreement regarding the direct flights cooperation. The first flight is expected by end this year.

Beside the bloc’s direct flights, efforts also make to invite the far direct flights such as from Asia and Europe, where is the hub of potential visitors to the kingdom.

Negotiation to welcome Indian flights has already put on the table since July this year, backing by both governments and the private sectors who aim to facilitate their business matching.

Anyway, there is only a direct flight from Europe. Re-opened its flight route to Cambodia on March 28 last year, Air France (AF) is operating from Phnom Penh Airport with a short stop in Vietnam’s Saigon Airport before flying to Paris’s Charles de Gaulles Airport with three direct flights per week that offer greater comfort and services to European passengers who wish to tour in Cambodia.

This well-known European airline after learning from the outcome from its one year operation, will consider a suitable time to fly directly from Paris to Phnom Penh, according to the company’s CEO.

Air France is the only official EU’ airline land in Cambodia, whereas charter flights from countries such as Spain, Italy and Sweden are also available. There are talks to open and scheduled direct flights for Russia’s planes as well. 

More distant direct flights are expected to set up in the coming years, as Cambodia has strategized on fly— the most effective route to absorb visitors, while tourism has been regarded as the nation’s green gold following the rice as white gold.

Covering by three international airports, and 9 local airports, Cambodia expects to absorb more international arrivals in the upcoming years as these main gates are steadily developed in term of flight schedules and size expansion.

Record from Tourism Ministry said the total international tourist arrivals to Cambodia in 2011 accounted for 2,881,862 arrivals while 1,480,407 passengers arrived by air (645,172 traveled by Phnom Penh International Airport equals to 22.4 per cent of the total arrivals, and 835,172 passengers equals to 29 per cent came through Siem Reap International Airport).

The kingdom’s three international airports, i.e. in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and SihanoukVille (not yet fully operated) together have contributed to this tourism growth.

Anyway, Phnom Penh as opposed to Siem Reap, the two airports are complementary and cater to different segments. At Siem Reap Int'l, the traffic is 99% made of tourism while at Phnom Penh’s tends towards a mix of business and tourism travelers.

The Phnom Penh International Airport will expand its infrastructure in a plan to mobilize 5 million customers a year starts from 2015.

‘The airport can currently accommodate 2.5 million passengers a year and this capacity will be doubled by 2015 as the airport management is launching the next expansion phase this year, said Norinda Khek, Communications Manager, Phnom Penh International Airport.

The Capital’s terminal receives on average 29/30 flights daily, or 200/210 flights a week, while 17 airlines are operating on schedule, including Cambodia Angkor Air, the only national flag carrier and only domestic airline.

When the Sihanouk International Airport is taken off, Cambodia will have one of the most adequate and relevant networks of international airports in ASEAN, striking a balance between various types of air traffics.

Fly transportation has contributed largely to tourism growth in Cambodia, as it has played for both the main gate to absorb international visitors and to facilitate their visitation across the country.

First Phnom Penh’s Airport Hotel Opens

The first ever airport hotel serving the Phnom Penh International Airport opened on July 1, 2012 located at Ratana Plaza on the junction between the Russian Blvd and the Hanoi Road on the way to the airport from the central Phnom Penh.

Dara Airport Hotel, the only 4-star “Airport Hotel " in Cambodia, is conveniently located only less than 10 minutes’ drive from the capital International Airport. The hotel is part of the Ratana Plaza complex, which houses a Lucky supermarket, Lucky Burger, iOne computers and a various shops.

Designed to offer both short-term and long-term accommodations, the hotel caters to businessmen, tourists, and transit airline passengers alike, especially for those who has short period stopover in Phnom Penh, and wish to gain a quick look onto Phnom Penh images, and wish to pick up the flight on time.

The hotel features contemporary designed rooms, business center with meeting room, fusion restaurant, a club lounge, lobby bar, fitness center, Infinity pool, therapy rooms, and airport shuttle service.

The hotel’s restaurant is called Blue Sky and has Western, Khmer and Chinese menus. The Attitude Lounge is located adjacent to the fifth floor rotunda and reception area.

The best feature of the hotel is the fifth floor open area where guests can relax in the open air, adjacent to the lobby.

The advantage is to be close to the airport, which fit best to travelers who has short time stopover in order to catch another flight.

It is just a walking distance from the hotel's new shopping mall, a large supermarket , and the Cambodian Country Club, the Phnom Penh largest and best sport complex, and a mere ten minutes away from the Grand Phnom Penh golf course.

The Dara Airport Hotel has 155 rooms with a fifth-floor reception, swimming pool, bar and spa. A 60-room second addition to the hotel on an adjacent street, with 11 long-stay apartments, in a building along with a restaurant and a branch of Canadia Bank is scheduled to open in November. When the adjacent addition is opened, the hotel’s total room count will be 226.