Sihanouk International Airport would allow long-haul flights to the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk. Hong Menea
The Kingdom’s civil aviation regulator has voiced support for plans set forth by France’s Vinci Airports, the parent company of Cambodia Airports, for expansions at Sihanouk International Airport that would allow long-haul flights to the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk.
Vinci Airports president Nicolas Notebaert on December 13 discussed these plans with Prime Minister Hun Sen during his working visit to France.
On the occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation reported that the expansions, scheduled to start in early 2023, will be “large-scale”.
State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha told The Post on December 18 that the expansions will aim to ensure that the airport is in full compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Code 4E standards, as per its development master plan, noting that the facilities currently only partially conform to these norms.
He noted that the expansions and other master plan initiatives were put on the back burner due to the Covid-19 crisis, as Vinci Airports reassessed operations amid diminished global air travel demand.
“From what I understand from the recent meeting between our leaders and the company, the company will resume … [plans, enabling the airport] to receive aircraft from distant destinations like at the new Siem Reap airport,” Chansereyvutha said, adding that he did not have additional information concerning the expansions.
For reference, in the “4E” code designation, the number “4” means that the airport’s runway is longer than 1,800m and the letter “E” signifies that the runway is designed for aircraft with a wingspan of up to but not including 65m, and landing gear where the outside edges of the outermost wheels are less than 14m apart.
On June 27, 2018, a fully-refurbished passenger terminal at Sihanouk International Airport was soft-opened to better cater to a growing number of passengers.
Cambodia Airports is a 70:30 joint venture (JV) between Vinci Airports and Muhibbah Masteron Cambodia JV Ltd, the latter of which is a Malaysian-Cambodian JV.
Preah Sihanouk provincial Department of Tourism director Taing Sochet Kresna told The Post last week that 712,614 travellers visited the province during the three main days of the 9th Sea Festival, from December 9-11.
Ministry of Tourism statistics show that Cambodia welcomed nearly 1.576 million international visitors in the first 10 months of this year – up 991.13 per cent on a yearly basis but still down 70.24 per cent compared to the same period in the record-breaking year of 2019.
Of the January-October arrivals, 1.199 million or 76.06 per cent declared “holiday” as their purpose of visit, 321,180 or 20.38 per cent marked “business”, while 56,135 or 3.56 per cent indicated other motives.
