Phnom Penh Techo Airport Becomes Digital Hub 2025

Published on Nov 26, 2025, 9:19 am CST

7 min read

Key points

Techo International Airport near Phnom Penh replaced the old capital airport for commercial flights on September 9, 2025
Phase 1 of the three runway hub is designed to handle about 13 million passengers a year, with future phases targeting 30 million and 50 million
SITA powered self service kiosks, biometric eGates, and automated bag drops support a largely digital journey from check in to boarding
Real time airport management and baggage tracking systems aim to reduce delays, improve communication, and cut mishandled bags
Travelers should allow extra time at first while new layouts and digital processes bed in, especially when making regional connections

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: The biggest changes are at Phnom Penh Techo International Airport, which now handles nearly all commercial traffic serving Cambodia's capital
Best Times To Fly: Travelers who can choose off peak departures and arrivals in the first months of operation are more likely to see shorter queues while systems stabilize
Connections And Misconnect Risk: When connecting through Phnom Penh on separate tickets, leave generous buffer time because new digital and transfer processes may still be fine tuned
What Travelers Should Do Now: Verify which airport your ticket uses, update saved airport details in apps, and review airline guidance on new check in, security, and baggage procedures at Techo

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Phnom Penh Techo International Airport is now the main gateway for Cambodia's capital, after commercial flights shifted there on September 9, 2025, replacing the older Phnom Penh International Airport and giving travelers a larger, more digital hub for Southeast Asia connections. Located about 20 kilometers south of the city in Kandal Province, the new airport is built to handle 13 million passengers a year in its first phase and up to 50 million as later phases come online. For travelers, that means new routes, new processes, and a very different airport experience when flying to or through Phnom Penh.

The change centers on Phnom Penh Techo International Airport, a three runway, 4F class greenfield airport designed to replace the older, single runway facility and to anchor Cambodia's long term aviation growth. Developed by Cambodia Airport Investment Co Ltd, a joint venture between Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation and the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, the project is one of the country's largest infrastructure investments, with SITA providing the core airport technology stack.

What changed for travelers

In Phase 1, Techo International Airport is designed to accommodate about 13 million passengers a year, roughly doubling the long term ceiling of the former Phnom Penh airport, with plans to scale capacity to 30 million passengers in Phase 2 and 50 million in Phase 3. The airport officially opened to traffic on September 9, 2025, and was formally inaugurated on October 20, 2025, marking a clean shift of almost all commercial flights serving Phnom Penh to the new site.

Most international and domestic commercial flights that once used the old Phnom Penh International Airport now arrive and depart from Techo. The former airport is expected to remain in use for military, private, and some domestic operations, but travelers booking regular scheduled flights to Phnom Penh should now assume that KTI is the default unless tickets explicitly say otherwise.

A fully digital airport journey

Techo positions itself as Cambodia's first fully digital capital gateway, with self service and automation built in from day one. SITA powered common use kiosks allow travelers to check in and print boarding passes and bag tags for multiple airlines, while automated bag drops let passengers hand off tagged luggage without queuing at a traditional counter. Biometric enabled eGates and automated border control positions are designed to move passengers through security and boarding more quickly, using facial recognition where permitted by local rules.

On the operations side, SITA's Airport Management System and Airport Vision tools give airport and airline teams a shared, real time view of stands, gates, and flight status. This kind of common platform is increasingly standard at large hubs in Asia and Europe, and is meant to improve on time performance by supporting quicker decisions when weather, late inbound aircraft, or congestion put pressure on the schedule. For travelers, the benefit should show up as more accurate departure boards, better gate assignments, and faster reallocation when something goes wrong.

Baggage handling is another area where digital infrastructure is visible. SITA Bag Manager tracks bags across the airport journey and connects with airline systems, making it easier to reconcile bags with passengers and to identify where a misdirected bag has gone. That lowers the risk of lost luggage and should support more precise updates in airline and airport apps when bags are delayed or rerouted.

Background, how a greenfield hub shifts a market

Techo International Airport is more than a replacement terminal, it is a shift in how Cambodia connects to regional and global networks. Built on a 2,600 hectare site with three planned runways, the airport can handle large widebody aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 8, which were constrained at the older field. The project is linked to highway improvements toward Phnom Penh and long term plans for possible rail connections, part of a strategy to anchor trade and tourism growth around a modern logistics hub.

The opening also aligns with a broader tourism rebuild. Cambodia welcomed about 6.7 million international visitors in 2024, a 23 percent increase on 2023, and officials have signaled that they see Techo as key to capturing further growth as airlines add routes and frequencies into Southeast Asia. For carriers, a modern hub with room to expand and better ground infrastructure is more attractive than a constrained inner city airfield, particularly when planning widebody long haul operations.

Practical impacts on itineraries

In the near term, the biggest practical change is the airport code and location. Phnom Penh's main commercial airport is now Techo International Airport (KTI), located south of the city rather than west. That means different transfer times, new airport express bus timetables, and, in many cases, updated hotel shuttle arrangements. Travelers should confirm which airport is listed on their booking, then check local ground transport times, especially if they are used to the older route from central Phnom Penh.

The digital systems should eventually make day of travel smoother, but in the first months of operation any new airport can see teething issues, from unfamiliar layouts to staff still getting used to new processes. Travelers who prefer manual check in should expect fewer traditional desks and more self service points, and should build in extra time until they are comfortable with kiosk and biometric flows. Those connecting through Phnom Penh on separate tickets will want longer buffers, because ground teams are still fine tuning how best to move short connection passengers between gates and security zones.

Premium and frequent flyer passengers may find new lounge configurations and revised fast track lanes, since layouts and partnerships are being rebuilt at the new site. Airlines are likely to adjust schedules and gate allocations over the first season of operation based on demand and performance data from the new infrastructure, so flight times may move slightly even after initial booking. Keeping an eye on airline notifications and re confirming departure times 24 to 48 hours before travel will be more important than usual.

How this fits into a wider digital trend

Techo's focus on automation mirrors a broader push in Southeast Asia, where air travel demand is growing faster than the global average and many airports are trying to add passenger capacity without simply building more traditional check in halls. SITA's Travelers Voice research suggests that nearly two in three passengers now expect faster, more self directed journeys, and that appetite is particularly strong in markets where mobile adoption is high and low cost carrier networks are expanding. Cambodia's decision to deploy common use, biometric, and data driven tools from the start is a bet that those expectations will only grow.

For travelers, the net effect should be more choice when routing trips through the region, and potentially better reliability once the new systems mature. Over the medium term, additional phases and route launches could make Phnom Penh a more powerful connection option between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and North Asia, especially for airlines that prefer to avoid congested megahubs. As always with new infrastructure, the main tradeoff in the early years will be between enjoying modern facilities and accepting that some processes will still be evolving.