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Cambodian capital airport gets new terminal to cope with passenger growth

Xinhua, March 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday inaugurated a new terminal at Phnom Penh international airport, which was built to deal with the vigorous growth of passengers.

"We are really proud to see the steady growth of foreign tourists to Cambodia. The new terminal will contribute to facilitating their travels to Cambodia," he said in a speech during the inauguration ceremony.

"The inauguration ceremony today is a message to foreign tourists that please, come to visit Cambodia because we have also had modern international airports," he said.

The prime minister said that the Southeast Asian nation welcomed 4.78 million foreign visitors last year, up 6.1 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, he praised the capital's airport for its capacity to accommodate large aircrafts, particularly the planes of world leaders, when Cambodia hosted the ASEAN Summit in 2012.

Xavier Huillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of France's VINCI Airports Group, which is the parent company of the Cambodia Airports, said the new terminal was equipped with 32 check-in and immigration counters, baggage handling systems, and X-ray machines for carry-on bags.

Also, there are restaurants and duty-free shops, he said.

"With the new terminal, the Phnom Penh international airport is capable to handle 5 million passengers per annum, doubling the current capacity," he said.

The airport expansion is part of a 100-million-U.S.-dollar upgrading program in 2014 to expand the terminals at two airports -- Phnom Penh international airport and Siem Reap international airport -- and double their capacities to 5 million passengers each. Enditem