A passenger flight on Monday landed at the China-backed Siem Reap Angkor International Airport in Northwest Cambodia, which marked a flagship Belt and Road Initiative project between China and Cambodia officially commencing operation, according to China Media Group.
Entering construction from March 2020, the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport has been invested by the Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co, an affiliate of China's Yunnan Investment Holdings Ltd. It was also the first overseas international airport delivered under the Build-Operate-Transfer model by Chinese enterprises.
The old Siem Reap International Airport is located just five kilometers from the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park, putting historical relics at risk of damage from being under a flightpath. UNESCO has advised the Cambodian government on multiple occasions to relocate or build a new airport, the report noted.
The new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport covers an area of 700 hectares, located in the Sotr Nikum district, about 40 kilometers from the Angkor Archaeological Park and 50 kilometers from downtown Siem Reap.
The terminal area of the airport covers 81,800 square meters, with anticipated annual passenger capacity of 7 million at early operation stage, which will be raised to 10 million by 2030, far surpassing the about 2 million total passenger capacity of the old Siem Reap International Airport, according to the report.
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