I always find it a pleasure to land back on Cambodian soil after a trip away, but Phnom Penh’s stunning new airport has lent an added frisson of pride to the experience. Since its launch in September 2025, on a 2,600 hectare site some 25km outside the city centre, the new, world-class Techo International Airport (KTI) has been receiving global acclaim for its spectacular architectural design courtesy of award-winning British architects Foster + Partners.

And it really is a spectacle: a series of sculptural, interlocking domes with a lattice-effect resembling traditional Khmer basketwork, framing a vast, open plan terminal with towering native trees and a 30ft gilded Buddha statue. With its emphasis on natural light and airflow, the structure borrows from traditional Cambodian building design with a respectful nod to the iconic New Khmer Architecture of the country’s Golden Age. The vaulted ceilings — rising to heights of up to 42 meters — with myriad tiny skylights very effectively reduce the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning. Sustainability was high on Foster + Partners’ agenda and the development’s impressive eco credentials also include the use of solar power, rainwater harvesting, and lush tropical planting to improve the air quality.

It certainly felt like a tranquil oasis when we landed there earlier this month, compared to the frustrating queues and delays we’d left behind at Hanoi Airport — but then the 235,500 square meter terminal building has a way to go before it’s operating at full capacity. The new airport can accommodate some 13 million passengers a year, a figure that will grow to 30 million by 2030 when Phase 2 of its development is completed, with a second runway, and to a reported 50 million by 2050. By land area it’s now the world’s 9th biggest airport, classed 4F meaning it can handle the largest passenger aircrafts, and puts Cambodia firmly on the global aviation map.

We’ve travelled via Techo International twice now and each time our passage through both departures and arrivals has been easy, efficient and stress-free (and I write as someone who generally hates the whole airport experience) — even when I inadvertently left one of my bags on the carousel, only realizing in the taxi home thanks to an alert from my new luggage tracker. This meant I also got to test the lost luggage service and I’m happy to say it passed with flying (no pun intended) colors. In terms of amenities, there are plenty of quality food and drink retailers accessible from both landside and airside, with more to follow, plus ample duty free and gift shopping and the Plaza Premium Lounge and Plaza Premium First if you want a comfort upgrade.

Some tips for travellers: if you’re arriving at KTI as a visitor and don’t have a pick up arranged it’s a good move to have a ride hailing app at the ready — the two major local ride hailing companies, Grab and PassApp, both have desks near the Level 2 Departures exit if you need help — as you’ll use it all the time in Phnom Penh for tuk tuks and taxis alike (put a payment card on it too as they rarely have change). The fare into the city is around $15 to $25 depending on the choice of car and time of day, a little cheaper than the official airport taxis, and there’s a designated pick up point outside.

Though it’s significantly further out of town than the old International Airport, the journey time by car is pretty similar at around forty five minutes. Once out of the city centre the newly-extended airport road is a breeze compared to the previous, inevitable traffic queues. For a cheap option, Phnom Penh City Bus operates an Airport Express service to and from the city centre between 5:30am and 10:30pm that takes about one hour and costs 1,500 riels (about 37 cents). If you’re travelling by private car, the airport has around 2,000 parking spots with plenty of accessible parking and EV charging stations on site.

There’s a wider Masterplan in place for the KTI site that involves a future public park and intermodal transport hub. The fate of the old Potchentong Airport is still undecided but the government is apparently considering how the land can be retained for public uses rather than sold for private sector development.

Since Techo International opened its departure and arrival gates, Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines have introduced services to Phnom Penh and Air Cambodia has just launched three new routes to neighboring Vietnam. Just the start of a growth that will introduce more routes, more flights — and more happy returns.