A new Siem Reap airport could be in works in the near future to accommodate the crush of tourists now swarming to the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex, Ministry of Tourism and aviation officials said.
The proposed new location is along Route 6, about 30 km from Siem Reap town.
That suits preservationists just fine. The heavy air traffic of the past few years has people like Vann Molyvann, former president of the Apsara Authority, fearing that the temples will crumble from the sound and vibrations of jet engines passing nearby day after day.
“The big aircraft like an Airbus or a Boeing 737 must land farther away [from Angkor Wat], otherwise the temples will fall apart,” he said.
The existing airport is too small to handle the number of tourists expected in coming years, Ministry of Tourism Secretary of State Thong Khon said.
“The speed of tourism is moving ahead,” he said. “If we build an airport for international flights, I believe we will attract more direct flights from overseas to Siem Reap,” he said.
The number of tourists visiting Cambodia has risen sharply in recent years. During the first 11 months of 2002, 276,639 foreigners came to Angkor—up 33 percent from the same period the previous year, tourism officials said.
Tourism remains one of Cambodia’s few viable industries, and the government hopes to top
1 million tourists this year, which is being touted as “The Year of Tourism,” officials said.
The airport currently welcomes short-range international flights to Siem Reap from regional cities like Bangkok, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City.
A Japanese company, Sumitomo Corp, has studied the surrounding area to find a suitable location to build the new airport, Thong Khon said.
The government has not yet chosen a location however, said Hin Sarun, Cabinet chief for Secretariat of Civil Aviation. He agreed that the airport must be built soon, though, to handle the expected rise in traffic.
Sumitomo Corp officials were not available for comment last week.
Meanwhile, renovations continue at various airports around the country: Bangkok Airways may renovate the Koh Kong airport, Royal Phnom Penh Airways is looking at the Preah Vihear airfield, the Malaysian company Ariston is renovating the Sihanoukville airport, and a cargo-only airport in Kompong Chhnang may be developed by the private company Dragon Gold.
Not everyone agrees that a new airport is needed in Siem Reap, however.
“My question is, does the current airport have traffic jams from too many planes landing?” asked Prince Norodom Chakrapong, president of Royal Phnom Penh Airlines.
“My view is that there are not too many planes landing. I think it’s not necessary for the country to build one more airport. For example, there is a nice and new airport in Malaysia that has no one landing at it,” he said.
