Mega Airport Announced Southeast of Capital

• 6 March 2018
• Local News
• 24815 Views

The Cambodian government has unveiled plans for a new massive airport for construction in Kandal province, southeast of Phnom Penh. Estimated to cost approximately USD1.5 billion, if built it would become one of the world’s largest airports.

A document from the Council of Ministers sent to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Secretariat of Civil Aviation, dated 21 December, 2017 cited the approval of an investment from Cambodia Airport Investment Co., Ltd. to develop the international airport.

The document revealed the approval was made in early January following the signing of 19 agreements between Cambodian and Chinese officials and business leader during a visit to Cambodia by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The mega airport project financing was signed as one of amongst those 19 between the Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC), a leading local developer and constructor, owned by Okhna Pung Keav Se and the China Development Bank.

The joint venture between local conglomerate OCIC and the Cambodian government’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) is to be built on 2,600 hectares of land mass earmarked in Kandal Stueng district about 30km from the capital. According to the document, OCIC will own 90 percent of the shares in the completed airport, with the rest going to SSCA.

A 2,600-hectare airfield would be the ninth-largest airport in the world, putting it just behind Chicago O’Hare airport (2,610 hectares), and ahead of China’s Beijing Capital International (2,330 hectares). The size of the existing Phnom Penh airport is approximately 400 hectares. The new facility terminal, a 4F class airport, will be capable of handling large long-haul aircraft.

The current airports in the kingdom don’t have enough capacity to cope with the projected surge in passengers and they lack the physical space needed to expand further, Tek Reth Samrach, Secretary of State of the Council of Ministers told local media.

Since 1995, Cambodia Airports, which is majority-owned by France’s Vinci Group, has been granted a 45-year concession to manage the three international airports in the kingdom – Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. The group, according to Mr. Khek Norinda, communications director at Societe Concessionnaire de l’ Aeroport, submitted plans to the government last year to expand both the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports to accommodate future growth in traffic.

OCIC deputy director Touch Samang couldn’t comment to Construction & Property Magazine on the project in early January, noting that he has not yet attained enough information in hand regarding the project process.

A local news outlet quoted SSCA spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha early January, as saying that there was no detailed plan or agreement, and the aviation authority had not even met with OCIC to discuss the project yet. “The project will need a long time to materialise because we need to negotiate on many criteria, on the frameworks of the agreement,” he said.

The airport facility is projected to cover 700 hectares, while the remaining space will be developed into an Airport City, comprising a mixed-used development including a commercial centre and residential housing. Chansereyvutha explained that investing in airfields alone doesn’t generate profit and thus the development must have commercial centres and other amenities nearby to attract customers.

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen expressed his optimism during a get-together with workers in mid-January about the construction of two new international airports in the country. “The growth of tourism clearly proves the country’s right perspective to construct two new international airports,” he said

Cambodia received approximately 5.6 million foreign visitors last year. “This is considered as a pride to do our best to promote this sector,” the prime minister emphasised, pointing out that “we will build new international airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap province – which is one of the crowded tourism hubs in the nation.”

Model plan class 4F airport

Picture of Class 4F International Airport at (DAL) Dalian Jinzhouwan