Smiling Albino

Wat's What at the New Siem Reap International Airport

17 OCTOBER 2023

Siem Reap, Cambodia’s busiest visitor destination, got itself a brand spanking new international airport this week. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI), to give it its full title and code, opened on 16 October and has now fully replaced the old airport. Here’s wat - sorry what - we know so far…

Location

Whilst the new airport offers greater comfort and capacity than its predecessor, the location isn’t quite so convenient – it’s located some 50km east of the town and 40km from Angkor Wat. However a new expressway has been built and there is also talk (at the moment, just talk) of a light railway eventually being built.

Obviously we’ll be factoring the additional journey time and cost into our itineraries, and whilst transfers may be longer, the airport’s location does come with a couple of major benefits:

  • It is just 16km from one of Siem Reap’s most beautiful temples, Beng Mealea. Despite its beauty, this temple rarely makes it onto tourist itineraries as it’s around 70 minutes from the centre of Siem Reap. But now with the airport nearby, it’ll be much easier to visit this hidden gem before departure or on arrival
  • It is also midway between Siem Reap and Cambodia’s latest UNESCO World Heritage site – the amazing ‘pyramid’ temple of Koh Ker. Another rarely visited landmark due to its distance from Siem Reap, but now an ideal combination with Beng Mealea before departure or on arrival
Beng Mealea
Koh Ker

Facts & Figures

  • The airport boasts a 3,600-meters runway and is a 4E-rated international airport capable of accommodating long-distance flights and larger aircraft
  • The airport is forecasted to handle 7 million air passengers per annum from 2024 and up to 12 million passengers annually from 2040
  • The airport has 48 passenger gates
  • With the commencement of SAI operations, the old Siem Reap International Airport has been entirely closed
  • It is expected that the new airport will attract more international airlines to Siem Reap, thus making it more accessible to visitors from more countries
 

That’s everything we know at the moment – obviously we’ll keep you updated with any new developments regarding the airport and its impact on our operations in Siem Reap.