July 10 is the target set by officials for the launch of operations at Techo International Airport. As the new facility becomes operational, commercial flights will cease at the existing Phnom Penh International Airport. On July 9, Korean Air will make history as the last commercial flight to touch down there.

Sinn Chanserey Vutha, secretary of state and spokesperson for the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), told The Post on May 13 that an SSCA working group will conduct a second round of final inspections and audits at the end of May or beginning of June.

Assuming the audits are successful, he said: “Phnom Penh International Airport will cease operations at exactly 12.00 midnight on July 9. All operations will then be transferred to Techo International Airport.”

“The final commercial flight in the history of Phnom Penh's Pochentong International Airport before its closure will be by Korean Air,” he added.

Construction of the new airport began in January 2020, with an estimated investment of $1.5 billion (excluding the cost of the land). The project is a public-private partnership, with 90% of the investment coming from private company OCIC and 10% from the SSCA.

Techo International Airport is a “Greenfield” airport, meaning it was built on area that was previously undeveloped land, in this case, 2,600 hectares in Kandal province, about 19 kilometres south of Phnom Penh.

A 4F-category airport, it was designed to accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus A380-800 and Boeing 747-800. The airport is being developed in three phases, Phase 1 (2020–2030) will handle 15 million passengers per year, Phase 2 (2030–2050) will see capacity grow to 30 million and Phase 3 (after 2050) will reach 45 million.