Aviation

Currently, there are 11 airports in Cambodia. The regular flights have been available only at two airports, Phnom Penh International Airport (PPIA) and Siem Reap International Airport (SRIA), but new regular fight route will be opened in December 2011 between SRIA and Sihanouk International Airport. The present situation of airports in Cambodia is summarized in below table.

Present Status of Airports in Cambodia

Note: ILS stands for Instrument Landing System.

Source: Infrastructure and Regional Integration Technical Working Group (2009)

“Société Concessionnaire des l’Aéroports (SCA)”, which is a private consortium of French “Vinci” (70%) and Malaysian-Cambodian “Muhibbah Masteron” (30%) was given the 25-year BOT concession of PPIA in 1995 and of SRIA and Sihanouk International Airport (former “Kang Keng Airport”) in 2001 and 2006 respectively. Cambodia Airport Management Services Ltd. (CAMS), 100% controlled by SCA since 2005, operates these three airports. All other airports are under management of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) except Kampong Chhnang Airport. In addition, the construction project of a new airport in Siem Reap, called Angkor International Airport, is now under preparation by the investors group including South Korea’s Lees & A A Co., Ltd.

As shown in below table, international flights to 14 destinations in 11 countries/regions are currently being operated from the PPIA. From the SRIA, 14 international air routes are being operated as of November 2011.

“Cambodia Angkor Air Ltd (CAA)”, which was established on July 27, 2009 as a joint venture among Vietnam Airlines (49%), Cambodian Investment Company (26%) and the Royal Government of Cambodia (25%), has decided in September 2011 to open thrice-weekly scheduled flights between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville by ATR-72 aircraft starting from 14 December 2011. The flight is scheduled to take 70 minutes. The airline also has an expansion plan of the fleet to 15 air­craft and launch of new routes to Japan, China, South Korea and throughout the ASEAN region in the next coming years.

Myanmar Air (MAI), the national flag carrier established in 1993, started operations to Siem Reap Int’l Airport in February 2011. In November 2011, it has also begun to operate the route to Phnom Penh with a triangular flight “Yangoon – Siem Reap – Phnom Penh” for the winter season (end of October, 2011 to end of March 2012) operating an A-320 aircraft with 162 seats. MAI will operate two weekly flights to Phnom Penh.

In early 2012, Tiger Airways of Singapore and Easter Jet of South Korea will start the operation to Cambodia as the 22^nd and 23^rd airline flying to Cambodia.

Departure Flights from Phnom Penh International Airport

(Effective from 25 October 2011 – 24 March 2012)

Source: Cambodia Airports Website (http://www.cambodia-airports.com/)

As shown in below table, the number of flight using PPIA and SRIA reached its peak in 2007 and decreased in 2008 and 2009 affected by the world economic recession. However, it recovered in 2010 to almost same level as in 2007 partly because the tourism returned to normal in Siem Reap and the business demand has increased in Phnom Penh.

Number of International and Domestic Flights (PPIA and SRIA)

Source: Cambodia Airports Website (http://www.cambodia-airports.com/)

At PPIA, the growth of passenger traffic was disturbed by the sluggish economy of the world and the number of passengers considerable decreased in 2009. Such down trend was reversed in 2010 and the number of passengers increased by more than 8% over that of 2009 as shown in below table. As economy keeps expanding, the number of international arrival passengers at PPIA in the first 8 months of 2011increased by 25% comparing with that of the same period in 2010.

Number of Passengers (PPIA)

Source: Cambodia Airports Website (http://www.cambodia-airports.com/)

As the tourism was also severely damaged by the world recession which began in 2008, the number of international passengers at SRIA sharply dropped in two consecutive years from 2008. In 2010, as the economy recovered, the number of tourists visiting Angkor Wat started increasing and the international passenger traffic of SRIA reached at the almost same level of its peak year, 2007. Cambodian Airports expects the number of passengers at SRIA will exceed 2 million in the year of 2011.

Number of Passengers (SRIA)

Source: Cambodia Airports Website (http://www.cambodia-airports.com/)