Phnom Penh's Techo International Airport to open this summer

Phnom Penh's Techo International Airport - the new terminal will be filed with greenery and natural light (image courtesy Foster + Partners)

The Cambodian capital is losing its city centre airport this summer as it gets ready to welcome the brand new Techo International Airport.

The new airport is slated to open in July and is located 20kms south of Phnom Penh in Kandal province. It’s hoped the US$1.5 billion facility will position the city as a key aviation hub in Southeast Asia. The airport will be capable of accommodating the world’s largest aircraft, including the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380. 

According to Charles Vann, director of Cambodia Airport Investment Corporation, the airport will initially serve as a major passenger hub, with plans to develop the airport into a cargo hub in the long-term.

The airport’s construction is taking place over three phases. The first phase will see the introduction of a four-kilometre runway and will have the capacity to serve more than 15 million passengers annually.

The second phase will see a second runway increase passenger capacity to 30 million passengers each year by 2030. And in the third phase, a third runway will be introduced, taking the annual passenger capacity to 45 million by 2050.

The airport is designed by British design company Foster + Partners and the architecture will blend modern looks with a traditional Khmer design to reflect the country’s heritage. The terminal interior will feature vast, pillarless spaces and palm trees. 

“The design prioritises hospitality to attract guests,” said Vann. “Dubai is a country with only deserts, yet it is highly attractive. This is due to British architects with exceptional design skills.”

The airport will also feature a large Buddha statue alongside 200 sculptures from different centuries, representing Cambodia’s rich history and civilisation.

Green technology will push the airport to being one of the greenest in the world. The terminal will be flooded with natural light and filled with greenery, with mature trees rising through the central void. The terminal will be powered almost entirely by solar energy produced on site.

Cambodia has welcomed a number of major infrastructure projects over recent years, including a new airport in Siem Reap in 2023 and a 200km expressway linking Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville in 2022.

This is what a weekend at the glamourous Raffles Le Royal Phnom Penh looks like