The newly-built Dara Sakor International Airport in southwest Cambodia’s Koh Kong province is set to begin operations for domestic charter flights next week, a civil aviation spokesperson said on Friday.
Cambodian State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA)’s Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson Sinn Chanserey Vutha said the first domestic test flight will be held between the Phnom Penh International Airport and the Dara Sakor International Airport on Dec. 26.
He added that Mao Havannall, minister in charge of the SSCA, is expected to welcome the first domestic charter flight to the airport on that day.
“This will mark the first-ever travel by air to the coastal area of Cambodia’s Koh Kong province,”Chanserey Vutha said in a news release.
“It will contribute significantly to the development of the economy, tourism and industries in Koh Kong province, in particular, and in Cambodia in general,” he added.
According to the spokesperson, the Dara Sakor International Airport will be open to international charter flights if there is demand.
Located in the districts of Kiri Sakor and Botum Sakor, the airport, covering a parcel of 218 hectares in the first phase, was invested by the Coastal Airport Investment Co., Ltd. in the amount of approximately 200 million U.S. dollars, he said.
He added that the airport is capable of handling 7 million passengers per annum in the medium term, and its handling capacity will be increased to 20 million in the long term from 2030 to 2050.
Cambodia currently has three international airports in operation, namely the Phnom Penh International Airport, the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, and the Sihanouk International Airport. Xinhua
