SIEM REAP: The Minister in-charge of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, Dr. Mao Havannall, has urged the construction company responsible for building the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport to work hard and complete the construction as planned, despite all difficulties and obstacles.

This instruction was made during his inspection visit to the construction site of the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport from 11-12 September 2022.

Under Secretary of State and Civil Aviation Spokesperson, Dr. Sinn ChanSerey Vutha, has said that by the end of August 2022, the construction of the new airport was 40.67% complete, and by December 2022, the airport is expected to be 70% complete.

However, he expressed worry that the construction of the airport may be slightly slower than expected due to China's zero-Covid policy, which has had a negative impact on the production chain and supply of construction equipment, including rising shipping costs, rising costs of some materials, and the rising cost of travel for skilled engineers in and out of the country.

The Under Secretary of State made these comments during the third quarterly meeting of the Technical Monitoring and Advisory Working Group (MOA-WG) for the construction of Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport of the Secretariat of State for Civil Aviation, led by Dr. Mao Havannall.

The construction of the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport began on 15 March 2020 and is scheduled to take a total of 36 months or three years to complete. The expected cost to build the airport is about US $880 million. According to the airport plan, the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is scheduled to be complete on 30 March 2023, and the first test run is scheduled for October 2023, if no other hurdles or delays are present.