New Airport Deal Inked for Siem Reap

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Friday, 17 December 2010

via CAAI

Photo: AP

Cambodian dancers walk past a Thai airline, Bangkok Airways plane at Siem Reap's airport in northern Cambodia.

The new airport will replace a facility that has seen a huge increase in tourist traffic over the past decade. Officials now worry the old airport’s proximity to the ancient temples of Angkor Wat could damage them.

Siem Reap is set to get a new international airport. In a joint venture between Caminco and the South Korean real estate developer Lees A&A, the new airport is expected to cost $1 billion and be finished in 2015.

The new airport will replace a facility that has seen a huge increase in tourist traffic over the past decade. Officials now worry the old airport’s proximity to the ancient temples of Angkor Wat could damage them.

The new airport will be built 50 kilometers from the existing one and will be large enough to allow larger aircraft in.

This will bring in more tourists and create more jobs, said Bun Tharith, deputy governor of Siem Reap. The town is expected to see 2.3 million visitors by the end of the year and 3 million visitors by 2015.