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Techo International Airport
Airport serving Phnom Penh, Cambodia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Techo International Airport (IATA: KTI, ICAO: VDTI)[5][6][7][8] is an international airport in Kandal Stueng District, Kandal Province of Cambodia. Located 19km south of Phnom Penh[9], the first phase was operational on 9 September 2025,[10] and replaced the existing Phnom Penh International Airport as the city's main aviation hub.[11] It spans over 2,600 hectares (6,400 acres) in Kandal Province, making it Cambodia's largest airport,[12] and is designated as a 4F class airport.[13] An official inauguration ceremony is set to be held on 20 October, with Prime Minister Hun Manet planned to preside over the grand opening ceremony.[14] The airport acts as the hub for Air Cambodia, Cambodia Airways and Sky Angkor Airlines.
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Etymology
The name Techo (Khmer: តេជោ) is a title given to army commanders by the King of Cambodia. Then Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the new name on 9 December 2021 while inspecting the new airport. The word "Techo" is referenced from Khmer history in which the king granted titles to former Khmer army commanders Techo Meas and Techo Yort who operated in the territory of Kandal Province. He also stated that "Techo" shows the strength of the kingdom's monarchy.[15]
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Location and connections
Techo International Airport located in the south of Kandal province, over 30 kilometers south of Phnom Penh, near the border of Takeo province, in front of Boeng Cheung Loung lake and surrounded by rice fields. A highway was constructed to connect the airport to the southern part of Hun Sen boulevard. The highway merges into National Highway 2.[10]
The airport is served by an airport express bus service managed by the Phnom Penh City Bus Authority that runs daily between 5.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m.[16]
In July 2023, Sun Chanthol of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport expressed the government's interest in connecting the airport with Phnom Penh city, possibly near the AEON mall in Mean Chey, via light rail, potentially as part of an underground metro system.[17]
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History
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Financing and Pre-construction
The project was estimated to cost around $1.5 billion, with the majority ($1.1 billion) expected to be acquired from the China Development Bank, though in 2025 it was quoted as $2 billion for the first of three phases of development.[18] In 2021, China Development Bank withdrew a loan agreement to provide $1.1 billion, leading Cambodia Airport Investment Co., Ltd (CAIC) to issue airport bonds in November 2021.[19] The bonds, mostly subscribed by local companies and financial institutions, raised $300 million, which was then invested by Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC). OCIC disclosed that all the $500 million budget originates entirely from Cambodia. The airport's design was carried out by the British company Foster & Partners while construction is being undertaken by European, North American, Chinese, South Korean, and local companies; with Heerim Architects & Planners designing the air Traffic control tower; Arup Group working on site formation and dyke; China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd building the passenger building; LBL International Construction for terminal soffit and cladding; and Shanghai Baoye Group - a subsidiary of Metallurgical Corporation of China - constructing the runways, taxiways, aprons, and related facilities.[20]
In December 2023, about 22 Japanese companies began considering investment into the project, with firm representatives visiting the airport on 20 December. This followed a recent visit by Prime Minister Hun Manet to Japan,[21] which according to The Phnom Penh Post helped attract interest in investing into Cambodia.[22]
Construction
A new airport for Phnom Penh was first hinted in 2016 once further expansion plans for the existing Phnom Penh airport ended. The project was then officially announced in January 2018, with construction beginning in 2019.[23] The $1.5 billion project is being invested by Cambodia Airport Investment Co., Ltd. (CAIC). The construction is taking place on 2,600 hectares of land in Kandal and Takeo provinces.[23] Hun Sen announced the name for the airport on 9 December 2021 whilst inspecting the new airport.[23]
On 30 June 2023, the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) announced that more than half of construction on phase 1 was completed.[10] By the end of November 2023, the SSCA announced phrase 1 to be 55% completed.[24] By January 2024, the Phase 1 passenger terminal was 47.4% completed, the power supply centre was 73.7%, parking lots was 52.2%, and the traffic control tower was at 90.8% completed.[25]
The first phase was initially expected to be completed by mid-2024, with the airport being built in 3 stages.[26] The opening was pushed to 2025, initially for 10 July.[27] This was again moved to 9 September, with the first arrival being an Air Cambodia flight from China.[28]
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Design
Techo International Airport is designed by the renowned United Kingdom architecture firm, Foster and Partners. The terminals have been designed to use natural light, and have lush greenery. The terminals will also almost entirely be powered by an onsite solar farm.[29] Once fully completed, the terminal building will comprise a central head house with two aerofoil shaped piers either side that optimise walking distances.
For the Cambodian government, the inclusion of greenery is part of the GreenSky project, which aims to make Techo a sustainable and eco-friendly airport. GreenSky aims to do this through the use of vertical gardens, rooftop greenery, and the use of native Cambodian flora, which will improve the airport's air quality. The project also aims to establish a botanical garden within the airport. Alongside the use of flora, the airport management also plans to use eco-friendly practices such as the use of solar energy, rainwater harvesting, and measures to reduce waste.[30]
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Operations
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Techo International Airport replaced all of Phnom Penh International Airport's commercial operations and international flights, while the older airport will be used as a military airbase, for domestic flights and private jets.[31] The first phase can handle 13 million passengers a year, whilst the second phase is set to increase this to 30 million. All together, the three phases will be able to handle 50 million passengers a year.[20] The airport will be able to handle large passenger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8.[32]
The airport's developer CAIC has appointed partners including Vinci Airports, Lagardère Travel Retail, and Newrest Group to oversee airport management, retail, and catering.[33]
The airport MRO center (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) is provided by TIA Engineering Services Company Limited, a joint-venture between SIA Engineering Company and Cambodia Airport Investment Co. Ltd.[34]
On 15 August 2025, an A320 plane from Air Cambodia became the first commercial plane to successfully test a touch-and-go landing at the new airport.[35] On 4 September 2025, another Air Cambodia A320 (XU-356) became the first commercial plane ferrying passengers to test landing at the new airport; the flight, which originated from Ho Chi Minh City, landed at the airport at 10:30 am local time (UTC+07:00).
Techo International Airport (KTI) officially commenced commercial operations on 9 September 2025. On the same day, Air Cambodia K6611 became the first plane to land at the airport, successfully touching down at 8:00 AM local time (UTC+7) after its 2-hour and 30-minute journey from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN). The flight was given a water salute upon arrival and its passengers were warmly greeted by high-ranking Cambodian officials, including Mao Havannall, Minister in Charge of Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), and the governors of Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Takeo, as well as Pung Kheav Se, Chairman of OCIC and Cambodia Airport Investment Co. (CAIC).[36][37] Nearly three hours later, Techo International Airport hosted its first foreign VIP: Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, who departed Phnom Penh on a chartered Philippine Airlines flight after a three-day state visit. He had originally been set to leave via the old Phnom Penh International Airport, but Senate President Hun Sen arranged his departure from the newly built facility following their meeting earlier that morning.[38]
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Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2025) |
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Controversy
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Tensions with locals during constructions
On 8 June 2023, local residents from four communes in Kandal province around the airport protested against the filling of land near their homes and Canal 94. Chiv Kok Say, who is in-charge with land acquisitions, said the homes they were filling in were vacant after their owners were paid $2,000. Chiv also said that the developments there was to prevent future flooding of the airport. To prevent the residents from intervening, the company brought in security and fire trucks, which they used to spray water at the villagers who were armed with sticks and stones.[103] Similarly, there were tensions between OCIC and farmers in Bati district over canals dug by the OCIC in August 2021. Local protests against the canal construction at the time was blocked by district and provincial police.[104]
Since construction on the airport began, the OCIC began buying out land from local farmers. However, this was at a low rate of $1 per square meter, lower than the $5 and later $3 rates proposed by some local farmers and not adequate enough for some farmers to relocate to new farmland. The village chiefs and around 100 families in Champei and Doung communes in Bati district who have been farming on the land since 1979, then asked for Hun Manet to help mediate and increase the rate to $3. Their land is planned to be turned into a reservoir according to Chiv Kok Say, who also said that their request of a $3 rate was not feasible because their "farmlands were without title deeds".[104] More than 400 families in Kandal Stueng and Bati districts were displaced by the airport's development.[105]
According to NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut, a local NGO founded in 2006 to support urban poor communities, around 2,000 households faced eviction as a result of the airport’s construction.[106]
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See also
Notes
References
External links
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