CAMBODIA'S main gateway into the country, the Phnom Penh International Airport, has been named as the Best Asia Pacific Regional Airport 2019 for its sustained high growth in passenger traffic over the last two years.
The award was presented by the Capa Centre for Aviation (Capa), which provides market intelligence to the aviation and travel industry, during the Capa Asia Aviation Summit in Singapore last week.
According to the Phnom Penh Post, Capa chose the Phnom Penh International Airport for adopting an innovative strategy that has led to passenger traffic increasing more than 25 per cent over the 2017-2018 period and 15 per cent between the first and third quarters of this year.
Capa also noted the very rapid completion of runway projects, which expanded the potential for new long haul services.
It also lauded the airport’s contribution to Cambodia’s gross domestic product and job creation.
Capa chairman Peter Harbison said that apart from the passenger volume growth, cargo payload capacity had also almost doubled.
“The expansion was the result of a well-coordinated programme of business development,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cambodia Airports CEO Alain Brun said the accolade for Phnom Penh International Airport was a testament to the relevance of the airport’s public-private partnership model.
“Our model warrants long term vision, reliability and continuous investments, which translate into solid passenger growth – from 600,000 to six million by the end of 2019, significant infrastructure projects and operational efficiency,” he said.
Cambodia Association of Travel Agents president Chhay Sivlin said the award would further attract more tourists into the country and the airport must make sure it provided first rate service to its passengers.
“More airlines will seek to operate here as we continue to face a shortage of short and long haul direct flights to the region and around the globe,” she said.
According to data from Cambodia Airports, 10.5 million passengers passed through Cambodian international airports last year, a 20 per cent increase from 2017,
Some 5.4 million passengers passed through the Phnom Penh International Airport and 4.48 million through Siem Reap International Airport.
Its other international airport, Sihanoukville International Airport, handled more than 650,000 passengers last year.
The three airports serve at least 55 international destinations with about 700 regular flights per week.
Cambodia Airports, which manages all three international airports, said the award aims to recognise smaller airports (fewer than 10 million passengers a year) that rely primarily on short haul routes.
According to the Tourism Ministry, the number of foreign tourists visiting Cambodia rose by 10 per cent to 4.8 million tourists during the first nine months of the year.