Chhin Eng remembered when Preah Sihanouk province’s Sihanoukville airport was nothing more than an airstrip. In 2005, when he first moved to the coastal town, there was little business activity and the Kang Keng airstrip had few flight arrivals or departures.
The last three years have seen an exponential increase in air travel to Sihanoukville, largely aided by the increase in casino and construction activity. Dozens of flights arriving at the town’s airport, at least 20 a day from Chinese cities, were keeping Chhin Eng busy in his Lexus RX-300 SUV.
“When the Chinese started coming, I could make up to $100 every day,” he told VOA Khmer in late May.
