Siem Reap Airport is the first among all Cambodian airports to reach already the symbolic mark of two million passengers a year.
SIEM REAP- Siem Reap became officially the first airport in Cambodia to reach the magic figure of two million of annual passengers on December 3, following the landing of SilkAir’s flight MI 633 at 16:15 from Singapore. Lee Kui Bao, a Singaporean national, was the 2 millionth visitor to pass through Siem Reap International Airport. The two-million figure computes the total of passengers both arriving to (inbound) and departing from (outbound) the airport.
Mr. Emmanuel Menanteau, CEO of Cambodia Airports, which develops and manages the airport, declared: “At the beginning of the year, we were not sure which one of the two international airports, Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, would reach first the two-million passenger mark. After a few months and with traffic growth gaining steam at Siem Reap airport, the picture got clearer. The airport serving Cambodia’s main tourism landmark, the Angkor Temples archaeological complex, has maintained along the year a steady 20% growth in passengers’ traffic. This milestone demonstrates the success of initiatives taken with and by concerned Cambodian ministries and agencies, airlines and tourism stake-holders to attract visitors to the Kingdom.”
Mr Tan Han Soo, SilkAir’s Manager for Cambodia added: “On behalf of SilkAir, I would like to congratulate the airport for this important milestone which reflects the confidence of the passengers and businesses in the airport’s ability to provide an efficient and trustworthy service. As SilkAir strengthens its presence in the fast-growing Cambodian market, it remains committed to working with the airport and other partners in ensuring an outstanding and quality passenger experience.”
To accommodate the steady passenger increase, Cambodia Airports is launching in early 2013 an upgrading program to double the capacity of the airport to five million passengers. The works are slated for completion by the end of 2014.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
