Cambodia Airports said it completed the runway expansion and renovation at Sihanouk International Airport on Tuesday as part of its post-Covid-19 era business expansion plans.
It extended the 2,500m runway by 800m, reinforced the current airstrip and installed an LED airfield lighting system to reduce its carbon footprint, it said in a statement.
The runway is now a $58 million investment programme and is scheduled to be commissioned in the last quarter of this year, it added.
“Upgrading the runway capacity provides new growth opportunities as airlines can operate bigger aircraft flying from/to more remote markets [such as Europe].”
Cambodia Airports communications and public relations director Khek Norinda told The Post that the runway will be operational in the weeks ahead.
Preah Sihanouk provincial Department of Tourism director Taing Sochet Kresna told The Post that the extension project is a strategic initiative that comes in direct response to the expected surge in post-Covid passenger traffic.
He said: “We are thrilled to see the airport upgrade in addition to the ongoing construction of a new terminal.
“The airport is now better equipped to handle direct long-haul flights, which is paramount in not only serving the tourism sector but enticing more investment and business into the province.”
According to Cambodia Airports, the airport has experienced triple digit growth nearly every year with annual passenger traffic soaring from 94,000 to more than 1.6 million between 2015 and last year. The number of passengers grew by a whopping 158 per cent last year from 2018.