Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) has reported a significant increase in its flight operations, with expectations set high for additional international connections in the near future. As it stands, the airport has already facilitated an impressive number of 50 daily round-trip flights, including both domestic and international routes that connect to eight different destinations.
During the first quarter of the year, from January to March, SAI has seen an influx of flights from 15 cities across eight countries. This includes connections from six ASEAN member countries as well as pivotal routes from China and South Korea. According to Pich Sopontara, the SAI senior officer in charge of flight development, plans are underway to broaden international flight operations. There is a strategic focus on increasing flights from China and establishing new routes from four additional ASEAN countries: Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
The SAI airport, situated approximately 50 kilometers from Siem Reap city in Tayek commune, Sotr Nikum district, began service operations on October 16. As a 4E-level international airport equipped with a 3,600-meter runway and 38 berths, it is designed to handle long-haul flights from all corners of the globe. Currently, SAI’s capacity stands at seven million passengers per year, with plans to expand this number to an estimated 12 million passengers annually by the year 2040.
A substantial investment of $1.1 billion from the Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China’s Yunnan Investment Holdings Ltd, stands behind the airport’s development.
In terms of cargo, the airport is set to manage 10,000 tonnes of air freight annually starting in 2023, with expectations to grow this capacity to 26,000 tonnes by 2040. Additionally, SAI is projected to accommodate 65,800 flight operations per year currently, with a significant rise to 112,700 flights annually envisioned for 2040.
An exciting addition to SAI flight destinations is expected to be cities in India, with Sopontara indicating that flight operations from this region are planned to commence within the year. In a notable development, India’s Indigo Air, renowned as a cost-effective carrier and the largest airline in India by passenger volume and fleet size, has been granted approval by the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) to initiate flights from New Delhi to Siem Reap.
Furthermore, Siem Reap’s status as a key tourist hub is reflected in the recent data from the Angkor Enterprise, which reports that 385,769 foreign tourists purchased tickets to visit the iconic Angkor Archeological Park in the first quarter, marking a substantial 47 percent increase year-on-year. The Ministry of Tourism has also highlighted the upward trend, with tourist arrivals in January and February surging by 52.5 percent compared to the same periods of the previous year.
Source: Khmer Times
