High-tech new airport the new gateway to Cambodia

Flyers arriving in Phnom Penh will be landing at a new airport from next month.

The Cambodian capital is bidding farewell to its international airport in Pochentong, which has operated for 65 years.

The new airport (above) is named Techo International Airport (IATA code KTI) and is located 28km south of Phnom Penh.

Compared to the current facility which is a mere 30 minutes by car to the capital, it will take over an hour to reach the city centre.

There are plans to construct a direct rail link to Phnom Penh, but work has not yet started.

Secretary of State and Spokesperson for Civil Aviation, Sin Chansereyvutha, confirmed that: “Techo International Airport will open for operations on September 9, 2025, and Phnom Penh International Airport will close on the night of September 8, 2025.”

From September 9, Pochentong will only be used by military aircraft and private jets.

The new airport will be one of the largest in south-east Asia. Designed by Sir Norman Foster and his team at Foster and Partners, the concept is of a green facility, using natural light, integrating greenery and powered by a solar farm.

It is capable of handling up to 13 million passengers a year, which is 2.5 times more than the current airport’s capacity.

The airport’s management will be transferred to Cambodia Airports, a subsidiary of French VINCI Airports.

VINCI Airports is the world's leading private airport operator with more than 70 airports operating in 14 countries and eight capitals

Qantas says its flight schedule is "almost back to normal"

Qantas says it is fast approaching normal pre-Covid flight levels.

The Australian flag carrier today announced an increase to its international capacity ahead of additional aircraft returning to its fleet.

Destinations with more capacity announced today include New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Bali.

The Qantas Group is currently at around 80% of its pre-Covid international capacity levels, which has almost doubled in the past year. This is expected to reach 100% by March 2024, the airline said.

Qantas has received three long-awaited Boeing 787s in recent months and is gradually able to return more of its Airbus A380s to service as they complete post-storage maintenance.

The national carrier is publishing more than 250,000 additional seats to and from Australia that include:

Sydney-Bali: larger Airbus A330 aircraft will replace daily Boeing 737 flights from October this year with more premium seats and fully-flat beds in Business Class.

Sydney-Auckland-New York: following the successful launch of the new route in June this year, flights will increase from four per week to daily from August 2024.

Sydney-Johannesburg: for the first time Qantas A380s will operate to South Africa from July 2024, close to doubling capacity during peak periods.

Melbourne-Los Angeles: capacity will increase by around 20% with more A380 flights on the route from July 2024.

Sydney-Los Angeles: flights will increase from eight to nine per week from July 2024, operated with a mix of 787 and A380 aircraft.

Tickets will be available to purchase from Tuesday at qantas.com and through travel agents.

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the additional flights would help support the sustained demand for international travel and provide a boost to the tourism industry.

“Hundreds of thousands of extra seats on our network is great news for our customers planning their next overseas trip,” said Wallace.

“We know our customers are looking for great value and this additional capacity will put more downward pressure on fares.

“The additional capacity will largely be made possible through our final two A380s returning to the Qantas fleet following heavy maintenance and cabin improvements.”