Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Cambodia Airports handles 8.8M passengers, ready for future growth

Cambodia Airports handles 8.8M passengers, ready for future growth

Departure hall of Phnom Penh airport adorned with the Artisans d’Angkor fresco
Departure hall of Phnom Penh airport adorned with the Artisans d’Angkor fresco

Cambodia Airports handles 8.8M passengers, ready for future growth

CAMBODIA AIRPORTS, the developer and operator of the Kingdom’s three international airports, has invested heavily in developing airport infrastructure to handle a surge in passenger and cargo traffic, and to prepare for future growth.

Last year, the airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville received a combined 8.8 million passengers, a 25 percent year-on-year increase. At the same time, cargo shipments grew by almost 40 percent to a record 65,000 tonnes.

Eric Delobel, Cambodia Airports CEO
Eric Delobel, Cambodia Airports CEO

Eric Delobel, CEO of Cambodia Airports, says the huge increases did not come by accident, but rather were the result of a successful strategy to develop air connectivity and provide sufficient airport infrastructure to handle the growth.

“On one end, it was the materialisation of what Cambodia Airports laid out with the Ministry of Tourism and all stakeholders in the tourism industry,” he says, noting that efforts to promote Cambodia as a destination have yielded nearly a decade of double-digit tourism growth. “It was also the result of our development strategies that aimed to welcome more airlines, open new routes and increase frequencies.”

Content image - Phnom Penh Post

Upgrading infrastructure
Infrastructure has been at the core of Cambodia Airports’ airport development strategy since 1995.

The company, majority owned by VINCI Airports, a subsidiary of France’s VINCI Group that is dedicated to airport management, holds a concession to operate the international airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville and has allocated $2 billion to develop the airport network by the end of its concession period in 2040.

Content image - Phnom Penh Post

Last year, Cambodia Airports completed a $100 million upgrade of the terminals at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports, doubling their capacity to handle over 10 million passengers a year and adding new services.

The second phase of this expansion, commissioned last December, extended the boarding concourse, provided new arrival areas and improved the domestic departure terminal.

The country’s 3 airports reports a solid 26.1%-growth for the first 3 months in 2018
The country’s 3 airports reports a solid 26.1%-growth for the first 3 months in 2018

A renovation of Sihanoukville’s airport is currently underway and expected to be completed in the coming months. The project is expanding the terminal to handle more passengers and provide a wider range of services, as well as extending and reinforcing the airport’s runway and apron to accommodate bigger aircraft. Upon completion, the airport will be able to handle over half a million passengers a year and accommodate widebody aircraft.

Siem Reap international airport refurbishment & extensions were completed in 2016
Siem Reap international airport refurbishment & extensions were completed in 2016

Operational efficiency
But increasing capacity is not simply about building infrastructure, says Delobel, it is also about developing human resources, improving operating efficiencies and streamlining processes. Moreover, it is important not to think of capacity simply in terms of a number, but also as the quality of services and the ability to manage peak traffic conditions.

“If we doubled the capacity with infrastructure, by developing human resources and improved processes we will be able to accommodate an even higher number of passengers,” he says.

The sense of place at the Arrivals Esplanade of Phnom Penh Airport
The sense of place at the Arrivals Esplanade of Phnom Penh Airport

The direct beneficiaries of these improvements are Cambodia Airport’s customers. But the airport development strategy has far-reaching benefits to Cambodia as a whole.

Social and economic benefits
A socio-economic study carried out in 2015 found that Cambodia’s three international airports activities represented $2.7 billion, or about 17 percent of the country’s total GDP. It also found that those activities provided employment to 1.7 million people, or about 20 percent of the Kingdom’s working population.

Rendition of the new terminal to be commissioned before Summer 2018
Rendition of the new terminal to be commissioned before Summer 2018

Moving forward, Delobel says it is crucial to maintain the unity of the Kingdom’s airport network in order to optimise the development of the aviation sector and maximise its socio-economic benefits.

“It is important to be able to operate and develop the three international airports as a network as this provides more opportunity in terms of connectivity,” he says.

Content image - Phnom Penh Post

One clear advantage is in route development, as having the same operator handle both international and domestic air traffic gives airlines a better perspective when discussing new routes. A carrier seeking to launch an international route to Siem Reap, for instance, can also discuss with the same operator the possibility of adding a domestic leg to Sihanoukville.

“This way, we are able to sell Cambodia not only as a destination for two or three days, but for a full week,” says Delobel.

But Cambodia Airports can also leverage the worldwide network of its parent company, VINCI Airports, with its vast resources and experience in route development and airport operations.

“Our network here is part of a bigger network, VINCI Airports, which is a top-four global player in the international airport sector, with 36 airports in seven countries on three continents,” he says, adding that in 2017, Vinci Group’s network handled almost 160 million passengers.

“Cambodia Airports has had 23 years of successful partnership, providing our customers with a high level of quality,” Delobel says. “And we still have room to develop even more.”

Cargo traffic hit a new record in 2017 with 60,000 tons handled
Cargo traffic hit a new record in 2017 with 60,000 tons handled

A key component of the airport development strategy is investing in human resources by recruiting and training staff to properly handle the growing operations. It is also improving operating efficiencies and processes, which is “linked to the digitalisation of the airport, such as self-service check-in kiosks and more digital signage to provide passengers with information in their national language.”

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Tina rebuffs ‘false claims’ over falling paddy price

    Agriculture minister Dith Tina has shed light on the trade of paddy rice in Battambang – Cambodia’s leading rice-producing province – in a bid to curb what he dubs a “social media fact distortion campaign” to destabilise the market. While acknowledging that the prices of paddy

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm