Phnom Penh to switch airports on September 9, 2025

Phnom Penh new international airport to open on September 9, 2025

Friday, 11 Jul, 2025 0

Phnom Penh is ready to bids farewell to its international airport in Pochentong after over 65 years in operation. The facility, which welcomed last year 4.75 million passengers, gives way to a brand new airport.

Named Techo International Airport (IATA code KTI), the new infrastructure is located 28 km south of Phnom Penh. Compared to the current facility which is a mere 30 minutes by car, it will take over an hour to reach the city center. There are plans to construct a direct rail link to Phnom Penh center, however not before a couple of years.

Secretary of State and Spokesperson for Civil Aviation, Sin Chansereyvutha, just confirmed that “Techo International Airport will open for operations on September 9, 2025, and Phnom Penh International Airport will close on the night of September 8, 2025.” Last working teams present on the site are now cleaning the facility and complete training.

From September 9, Pochentong will only be opened for military aircraft and private jets. The government promises to keep some of the buildings reflecting the history of Cambodia.

A world-class green airport

Stretching on a total area of 2,600 hectares, the airport is due to be one of the largest in Southeast Asia. World-famous architecture cabinet Foster and Partners designed the airport. The concept is of a greenery airport, using natural light, integrating greenery and powered by a solar farm. It already brings praises for its green efficiency and its spectacular design.

The first phase is set to handle 13 million passengers a year, which is 2.5 times more than the current airport’s capacity. Back to 2019, Pochentong airport already accommodated over 6 million passengers. Traffic however collapsed due to Covid-19. It still struggles today to return to its pre-Covid level.

In two further phases, the capacity will reach 30 and then 50 million passengers per year. The airport will be able to handle any type of aircraft including the Airbus A380. 20 jet bridges will give a direct access to the aircraft.

Airport’s management will be transferred to Cambodia Airports, a subsidiary of French VINCI Airports.

Cambodia Airports will bring its expertise and experience to optimize operations at the large-scale airport complex, which terminal spans over 240,000 square meters. It will deploy its airport culture of excellence in key areas such as efficiency, passenger experience and comfort.

The operator’s scope also includes air service development aimed at boosting Cambodia’s connectivity, especially by attracting new airlines and opening new routes.

Etihad and Turkish Airlines ready to launch flights to KTI

With this appointment, Cambodia Airports further strengthens its legacy in Cambodia. The company became back to 1995 the concessionaire of the current airport. In 30 years, it developed the airport to multiply traffic by 20, from 300000 passengers in 1995 to 6 million in 2019.

The opening of Techo International Airport represents a strong incentive to airlines to fly to the Cambodian capital.

Turkish Airlines announced to open a direct route from Istanbul to KTI with a stop-over in Bangkok. Turkish will serve the route three times per week.

UAE national carrier Etihad will launch 4 weekly non-stop services from October 30 from Abu Dhabi. The airline will use an Airbus A321neo LR. The airline will provide 5 weekly services from November 6 and will further increase its presence to six weekly flights from February 3, 2026.