Sihanouk International Airport located in Sihanoukville Province has entered a new stage of development. The runway has been extended from 2500 meters to 3300 meters. The airport is the third largest international airport in Cambodia and serving Cambodia’s major seaside resorts and port cities.

In the past five years, Sihanoukville has become a tourist attraction with its pristine beaches and deep-sea ports, attracting tourists and commercial investors. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of passengers increased from 94,000 to 1.6 million and the airport grew at a triple digit rate almost every year.

In the context of strong passenger traffic growth, the runway project was launched in July 2018 and aims to accommodate large aircraft such as B-777-300ER or A-350-1000 operating to and from Sihanouk International Airport for long distance direct flights.

Mr. Mao Havannall, head of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), has said that the runway expansion is critical for the future, as the SSCA and the airport concession holders are working together to attract airlines and obtain bilateral landing rights.

However, the government did announce tax relief measures for certain sectors in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the aviation sector.

When talking about the airport tax reduction and exemption, the minister said that the government is very sensitive to the needs of the tourism industry. Therefore, the government has decided to extend some relief to the three airports.

He also said that this relief measure will be reviewed regularly and is based on the COVID-19 pandemic. The government’s actions must be adjusted in view of the condition of the pandemic, to make the airport and tourism survive.

The upgradation of the new runway is good news for Sihanoukville and Cambodia at difficult times. Cambodia Airports reported that passenger traffic travelling through Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville airports has dropped by 75 per cent in the past 8 months.

Mr. Alain Brun, CEO of Cambodia Airports, has stated, “To sustain the development of Sihanoukville, an efficient airport system and increasing air connectivity are critical.”

“Upgrading the runway capacity provides new growth opportunities because airlines can operate bigger aircrafts flying to and from more remote markets such as the European one,” he added.