Cambodian airports handle over 10 million passengers

The Phnom Penh International Airport (Photo: www.ttrweekly.com)

Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia’s three international airports recorded 10.6 million passengers in 2018, according to VINCI Airports, the French-owned company operating international airports in Cambodia.

Passenger traffic moving through Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville airports grew by 20.1 percent year-on-year.

Cambodian airports hit the 10 million-passenger milestone on 18 December for the first time, according to parent company VINCI Airports’ CEO Eric Delobel.

Connectivity and synergies between the three airports have significantly contributed to bringing in more and more passengers to Cambodia, he said.

VINCI Airports, which has run the country’s international airports since 1995, through its subsidiary Cambodia Airports, said passenger traffic doubled over the last five years.

The company reported it has initiated an ambitious investment programme and contributed to the modernisation and expansion of Phnom Penh airport’s runway to support the increase in passengers.

Cambodia Airports communications and public relations director Khek Norinda affirmed that the attractiveness of Cambodia as a destination for leisure and business was the key driver for air traffic demand.

He noted it is the result of the country’s strategy for route development and for connecting three airports to more destinations.

In its annual report VINCI Airports said there is an upsurge in demand of visitors from China and Thailand, as eight new routes were opened.

Growth was especially brisk in Phnom Penh, with a rise of 27.9 percent, which cleared the 5-million passenger milestone to reach 5.4 million in 2018.

Siem Reap International Airport saw a slimmer 6.4 percent year-on-year increase with passenger traffic reaching 4.48 million. Meanwhile,

Sihanoukville International Airport saw the biggest increase in passenger traffic, with traffic growing 92.6 percent last year to reach 651,000.-VNA

VNA