Poipet Airport gets official approval

A project to build Poipet’s first airport has been greenlighted by the government, with total investment estimated at $40 to $50 million, according to the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation.

Aiming to capitalise on the rising number of tourists in a province that is industrialising quickly, the new airport will be built on more than 100 hectares in Banteay Meanchey’s Poipet, in the border with Thailand.

The project has been submitted by Poipet Airport Investment, a locally-owned entity, said Chanserey Vutha, spokesman for SSCA.

“The government approved the airport in Poipet back in May. Actually, the company got permission to build the airport in 2007. They now want to start building, so they were required to submit the project for approval once again.

“The company already owns the land. From what we know, they have a strong financial position so we are sure they have the resources to complete the project.

“This is an interesting project because Poipet has great potential not only as a tourism destination, but also as a commercial and investment hub. We have a lot of special economic zones in the province,” he said.

Oum Reatrey, deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey province, told Khmer Times, however, that he is yet to receive any information from the government regarding the airport project.

“Here at the provincial level, we haven’t seen any documentation regarding this investment,” he said.

“However, we do welcome such project as it would improve transportation from Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk province for investors and businesspeople in the province,” he said.

Mr Reatrey explained that Banteay Meanchey now has four special economic zones and one industrial park, with most tenants hailing from Japan.

Ho Vandy, secretary-general of the Cambodia National Tourism Alliance, said the new infrastructure will allow more gamblers to visit the province.

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