Cambodia is set for a major renewal as a new airport promises to boost the economy to become a major player in the region.
Techo Takhmao International Airport in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh is set to be the ninth largest airport globally.
Cambodia is a country bursting with natural beauty and rich culture, but it has been harmed by civil wars, violence, and extreme poverty.
Located on the outskirts of the city, the $1.2BN (£922M) new airport will catalyse the changes needed. Cambodia is now the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia, and the third fastest in Asia overall.
The project was announced in January 2018 and is being developed in three phases.
Phase One will allow the airport to accommodate 13 to 15M passengers and around 175,000 tonnes of cargo annually.
Being the highest class of an airport, it can accommodate large aircraft with extensive requirements such as runways over 3,000 metres in length, suitable for the biggest passenger and cargo planes.
Phase Two will expand the airport, adding a second wing to the terminal by 2030, increasing passenger capacity to 30M.
A third and final phase will see the airport grow to 50M passengers by 2050, making it comparable to the roughly 42M annual passengers of Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Singapore’s airport sees 100 different airlines flying to destinations in Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America – a hub that transformed the country.
Similarly, Dubai Airport created over 400,000 jobs and contributed more than $26BN to the economy. This alone accounted for 27% of Dubai’s entire GDP.
These cities used their airports as connectors between opposite sides of the globe. They boosted trade and increased tourism. Both things that are driving Cambodia’s economic resurgence.
During a 2021 site visit, the Cambodian prime minister named the airport Techo Takhmao.
‘Techo’ honours the historical Cambodian military commanders Techo Meas and Techo York, who were prominent in the Kandal Province.
The incredible new airport is anticipated to be operational by the first half of 2025.
Techo Takhmao has been designed so that the canopy resembles the jungles of Cambodia.
There are trunks that reach up and shield visitors from the sun with their branches. Instead of leaves, steel blossoms outward, forming a screen that filters the light.
The airport references the country’s architectural style such as the thatch roofs made from sugar palms.
The canopy borrows cooling techniques from these designs as well. Using stacking techniques and gaps between the roof and walls, hot air is pushed out by the cool.
By using these natural cooling techniques the airport won’t have to rely as much on air conditioning.
