Cambodia Accelerates Aviation Growth With Three New Airports, Rising Passenger Traffic

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 5, 2025) — Cambodia has stepped up its aviation expansion, opening three new international airports over the past three years with a combined investment of $3.6 billion, Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said Friday at the country’s first National Civil Aviation Day.

The newly operational Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, Dara Sakor International Airport and Techo International Airport are boosting national air connectivity and meeting rising transportation demand, Hun Manet said.

Air travel has shown strong momentum, with 35 airlines now linking Cambodia to 16 countries and 39 cities in the first 10 months of 2025. Passenger traffic reached 5.7 million during the period, a 14 percent increase from 2024.

Thipadei Hun Manet Hun Manet credited the progress to the Open-Sky Policy introduced in 1999 by former Prime Minister and current Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, saying the framework continues to drive passenger and cargo flows, support tourism and trade, and deepen Cambodia’s integration with regional and global markets.

Cambodia received about 4.75 million international visitors in the first 10 months of 2025, down 11.6 percent year-on-year. China surged 44.6 percent to nearly 1 million visitors, while Vietnam remained the largest source market with more than 1 million arrivals, down 6.8 percent. Thailand dropped 42.3 percent to about 990,000, South Korea fell 12.1 percent to 138,524, and U.S. arrivals slipped 2.6 percent.

Officials said the government expects the new airports and expanding routes to further strengthen tourism recovery, stimulate business and logistics growth, and contribute to national revenue.