SINGAPORE: Changi Airport had better watch its back, with Cambodia’s new £922 million (S$1.58 billion) airport in the works aimed at setting the country on the path to becoming a “second Singapore.”
Techo International Airport, the first phase of which is set to open in the first half of next year, is under construction about 20 kilometers away from the country’s capital, Phnom Penh.
The airport was named in honor of Techo Meas and Techo York, historical Cambodian military commanders. The name “Techo Takhmao” was revealed by former Prime Minister Hun Sen during a site visit in 2021.
The new airport is set to become the ninth largest airport across the globe.
Newsweek reported earlier this week that between 13 to 15 million passengers and about 175,000 tons of cargo each year may be accommodated at the new airport with the completion of phase 1.
The construction of Techo International Airport comes at a time when the country’s economy is flourishing. At present, Cambodia’s economy is the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia as well as the third-fastest across the continent.
The country first announced that it would construct the new airport in 2018.
Passenger capacity will expand to 30 million by the end of phase 2 in 2030, and by the time the third phase ends in 2050, the airport will be able to accommodate 50 million travelers each year.
According to The Daily Express, this would make Techo International Airport comparable to Changi Airport, which sees 42 million passengers every year.
Changi Airport’s success has been instrumental to Singapore’s development, with more than 100 carriers flying to various destinations in Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
When Cambodia’s new airport is operational, the old one will still be utilized for domestic flights and as an airbase for the military.
Techo International Airport will boast an unusual design based on Cambodia’s jungles and is said to feature tree trunks reaching up to the airport’s roofs.
“The roof canopy will also use the ventilation system that is adopted in traditional Cambodian huts, where the hot air is ventilated under the roof, essential as the country has high temperatures of around 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in its hottest months,” added Newsweek.
At the same time, Dubai is in the midst of developing a new airport that is set to become the biggest in the world. When completed, it hopes to accommodate 260 million passengers each year. /TISG