How bad is the Techo International Airport???? Clickbait much, well yes to an extent, but also honest discourse, because I do feel that this was a big waste of time, money and effort.
Why do I think this? Well I will get into that, but the salient point is that the money could have been spent on things related to tourism so they could have tourist numbers. As things stand both Thailand and Vietnam have record numbers of visitors, while not only does Cambodia stagnate, but also pointlessly clings to a visa policy that is not fit for purpose.
OK rant over, let us explore just how bad this airport is.
What the Techo International Airport?
The Techo International Airport has been one of those great Cambodian vanity projects. First announced in 2018, then launched with all the fanfare of Chinese loans and Cambodian elites lining their pockets, it was meant to be the jewel in the crown of Phnom Penh. Construction started, stopped, slowed, and then Covid came along to wipe out the whole premise of why they were building it in the first place.
It was originally meant to open in 2023, then 2024, but eventually limped into existence in September 2025. By then nobody outside of the government and a few real estate speculators cared anymore. The idea was always to show that Cambodia could play with the big boys, like Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City, but instead it just became another very expensive field of concrete built by Chinese contractors.
In short the story of Techo International is delays, hype, corruption and a whole lot of borrowed money.
Fun fact I recently had a flight from Saigon delayed, so found it was QUICKER to take the bus. If you choose to fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh you are mental. I also got me a new iPhone 17…..
Techo International Airport in numbers
If you want the cold hard facts then here they are. Techo sits on 2,600 hectares of land, which makes it technically one of the biggest airports in the region. The first runway can handle an Airbus A380, and there are plans for more if people ever decide to come.
Phase one gives it a passenger capacity of 13 million people a year. Eventually they want 30 million, and if you believe the press releases 50 million by 2050. Compare that to the old Phnom Penh airport, which had a capacity of 6 million but in 2024 saw just 4.75 million arrivals. Translation: the old one was not even full, so why exactly was this beast built?
It is basically like building a new stadium when you cannot even sell out the old one.
What facilities are at Techo International Airport
So you have arrived at Cambodia’s pride and joy. What do you get? Well, not much. There are empty retail units everywhere, the classic overpriced souvenir shops flogging Angkor Wat magnets and Buddha T-shirts, and of course the one international brand that stalks the world, Starbucks.
Most of the food is local, which is fine, but it is not exactly exciting. There are noodle joints, cafés, and a few kiosks, but most of the place looks half-built and abandoned. You get the vibe that they put up the frame of a shopping mall and then realised no one wanted to rent space inside.
The whole thing is clean, new, air conditioned and empty, which makes it feel more like a Chinese ghost airport than a buzzing international hub. Kangbashi anyone?
Getting to Techo International Airport and Away
The airport is not even in Phnom Penh. It is in Kandal province, surrounded by farmland and the kind of industrial wasteland that makes you wonder if you landed in the right country. It is around 20 kilometres south of the capital, which does not sound far until you hit Cambodian traffic and dust.
Your options for getting in and out:
- Grab Car: $15–20 depending on time of day and how much the driver likes you
- Grab TukTuk: $8–10 but expect a very slow ride and lung damage from the dust
- Airport Bus: about $2 but irregular, uncomfortable and painfully slow
- Private Hotel Taxi: $25–30 because hotels love to overcharge
In short, there is no convenient way, and it is too far out to ever feel connected to the city.
And the controversy
Of course no Cambodian mega-project would be complete without scandal. Techo International has had plenty of it, from rumours of shady land grabs in Kandal to accusations of inflated contracts and kickbacks. Everyone knows Chinese companies fronted the money and Cambodian elites skimmed their share.
Yet none of this really matters to the local narrative. Cambodia has been busy whipping up nationalist fervor thanks to its border spat with Thailand, and in that context a new shiny airport is something people can point to with pride. It is a symbol, a place for selfies, and a chance to say Cambodia is modern.
The tourists, however, have not come back in numbers. Thailand and Vietnam are booming, Cambodia is stagnant, and a new airport in the middle of nowhere will not fix that. If anything, the billions spent here would have been better used fixing beaches, cleaning up scams, or changing the ridiculous visa rules.
So how bad is the Techo International Airport? Pretty bad. It looks nice in photos, but it is not needed, it is not convenient, and it will be years before it has any real point.
Top 10 reasons Cambodia did not need Techo International Airport
1. The old airport was not even full
Capacity 6 million, arrivals 4.75 million. Do the math.
2. Tourism numbers are stagnant
Thailand and Vietnam are smashing records. Cambodia is stuck in neutral.
3. Visa policy still sucks
Make it easier to come in, then worry about where people land.
4. Wrong location
Kandal province, rice fields, an hour from Phnom Penh. Genius.
5. The ghost town vibe
Half-empty shops and deserted concourses are not a tourism magnet.
6. It was built on borrowed money
Chinese loans and Cambodian pockets lined, while the public pays the bill.
7. Other infrastructure is worse
Roads, railways, ferries, and actual tourist sites need money more than a shiny new runway.
8. Cambodia is losing regional competition
Bangkok and Saigon are expanding capacity because they actually have passengers. Cambodia copied them without the demand.
9. Prestige over practicality
This is about showing off, not solving problems.
10. Tourists still are not coming
Until the numbers rise, this place will stay as empty as a Siem Reap nightclub on a Tuesday.
So, the Techo International Airport?
Like it or not the new airport is now a reality that we just have to accept and deal with. This off course includes extra fees and a lot of wasted time. Hopefully though it opens those with the powers mind to what actually needs to be done to fix Cambodian tourism. First and foremost being dropping the visa fee.
Alternatively there might just be another war ins which case the government can continue to just whip up good old fashioned Khmer nationalism. If this happens no one will care about the new white elephant.
Click to see my Cambodia Tours with YPT