Angkor Airways is the airport’s chief carrier, a small local airline started in 2002 that flies scheduled services to Kunming in China, Taipei, Phnom Penh and Bangkok with chartered services to Tokyo, Seoul, Kaohsiung in South Korea and Chengdu in China. With its slogan ‘Bring the World to Angkor Wat’, Angkor Airways has slowly expanded although still only maintains a fleet of two aircraft. Siem Reap Airways is a subsidiary of Bangkok Airways of Thailand that flies to Bangkok and Phuket as well as a handful of other regional destinations like Hong Kong.
Other airlines that fly into Siem Reap Airport include Cambodian-owned PMT Air and Royal Khmer Airlines, Australian budget carrier Jet Star and the likes of Singapore’s Silk Air, Malaysian Airlines and China Eastern Airlines – among the 20 carriers that fly here. Korean Air became the latest carrier to jump on the Siem Reap bandwagon in November 2006 with its inaugural flight to Seoul.
Just eight kilometres from the city, Angkor International Airport consists of two terminals – one domestic and one international – that handled more than one million passengers in 2006, a figure that will almost certainly rise year-on-year. This makes it the second busiest airport in Cambodia after Phnom Penh International Airport. Nearly a third of all passengers either originate or are heading to Ho Chi Minh City and half connect with Vietnam.
The new international terminal was opened at the end of August 2006 in preparation for the coming tourist season and boasts modern facilities but with a traditional Khmer-style façade. Numerous international restaurants and cafés are available in the terminal building, along with ATM and money exchange services, telephone and internet and well-stocked duty-free stores. Passengers are required to pay a departure tax in US dollars so don’t forget to keep some money aside.
The airport also offers a visa-on-arrival service at the international terminal so you won’t have to worry about getting a visa at a Cambodian embassy beforehand. Make sure to bring a colour passport photo or prepare to be fined on top of the visa fee. Fees must be paid in crisp, clean US dollars.REM