Passenger flights began Tuesday at the newly built Techo International Airport outside Phnom Penh, a $2 billion project Cambodian officials hope will help revive the country’s struggling tourism industry.
The inaugural flight — an Air Cambodia plane from China — was greeted with a ceremonial water salute, marking the official opening of the three-runway, 10-square-mile airport located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital.
Jointly funded by the Cambodian government and the privately owned Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation, the airport was designed by Britain’s Foster + Partners and built by China’s state-owned China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Group Co.
The facility replaces the nearly 70-year-old Phnom Penh International Airport, which had a single runway and saw nearly 5 million passengers in 2024. Officials say the new airport will be able to handle up to 13 million passengers annually.
“Techo,” meaning “powerful” in Khmer, is an honorific title associated with top military commanders and former Prime Minister Hun Sen.
However, rights groups raised concerns over the project’s social impact. According to the NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut, around 2,000 households were forced to relocate or face eviction during land clearance for the airport. A civil aviation official told AFP that the disputes were “almost resolved” but did not confirm the number of residents affected.
The airport’s opening follows the 2023 launch of a $1.1 billion Chinese-owned airport in Siem Reap, near the Angkor Wat temples, Cambodia’s premier tourist attraction. That facility was granted to its Chinese operator under a 55-year concession.
The dual openings underscore China’s growing role in Cambodia’s infrastructure development, with Beijing-backed projects reshaping both tourism and trade logistics in the country.
The Debt-Trap Narrative: Linking Finance to Sovereignty
Critics frequently challenge such arrangements as potential exhibits of “debt-trap diplomacy”—a strategy where large loans may shift leverage over vital infrastructure to the creditor.
- Cambodia has borrowed heavily under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While some observers argue that the Techo airport will be a “lifeline for social and economic development”, Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol recently emphatically stated: “It is not a debt trap” .
- Yet, public policy specialists urge caution. BOT projects with extensive foreign control over critical infrastructure, especially lacking transparent terms, may impinge on sovereignty or autonomy.
- In the past, examples from Sri Lanka—where Chinese-financed infrastructure led to a 99-year lease of a strategic port—serve as cautionary tales for Cambodia’s reliance on similar financing models.
- Analyst Ear Sophal warned that “owing China nearly 50 % of your public debt is not good,” highlighting the systemic risk of overdependence.
Conclusion: Promise Shadowed by Prudence
The Techo International Airport undeniably marks a transformative moment for Cambodia’s aviation infrastructure and economic ambition. However, the structure and funding model tying the airport to Chinese debt, under a BOT scheme, raises valid concerns about long-term strategic independence and fiscal flexibility.
While Cambodian leaders assert that the investment is not a debt trap, experts urge greater transparency, diversified foreign investment, and robust national debt management to avoid repeating the missteps seen in other vulnerable economies.
