Sihanouk International Airport

Sihanouk International Airport (formerly Sihanoukville International Airport; Khmer: អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិខេត្តព្រះសីហនុ; French: Aéroport international de Sihanouk) (IATA: KOS, ICAO: VDSV), located 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Sihanoukville City in Sihanoukville Province, is Cambodia's third largest international airport.^[2] It is named, like the province itself, after King Norodom Sihanouk. The airport is also known as Kang Keng Airport (Khmer: អាកាសយានដ្ឋានកងកេង). The IATA code KOS is derived from Sihanoukville's alternative name "Kampong Som".^[3]

Sihanouk International Airport អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិខេត្តព្រះសីហនុ Aéroport international de Sihanouk
IATA: KOS ICAO: VDSV
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Cambodia Airports
Operator	VINCI Airports
Location	Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Elevation AMSL	40 ft / 12 m
Coordinates	10°34′48″N 103°38′13″E
Website	kos.cambodia-airports.aero
Map
KOS Location of airport in Cambodia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 3,300 10,827 Asphalt
Statistics (2021)
Passenger movements 17,000 92% Aircraft movements 654 79%
www.vinci-airports.com [1]

History

The airfield was originally constructed in the 1960s with assistance from the Soviet Union.^[4] After a long period of dormancy during and after the Khmer Rouge era, the airport formally reopened on 5 January 2007.^[5] The runway was extended to a length of 3,300 metres (10,827 ft) in order to accommodate 4E class aircraft. The 2 existing taxiways were widened and a cargo apron for 4E class aircraft was added.^[6] However, after the crash of PMTair Flight U4 241 in June 2007 shortly before landing, scheduled passenger flight service to the airport was discontinued until 2011.^[7]

Cambodia Angkor Air started a tri-weekly service from Angkor International Airport in Siem Reap on 14 December 2011. The service was further adjusted to continue Phnom Penh as well operating a triangle route Siem Reap-Sihanoukville-Phnom Penh-Siem Reap from the beginning of 31 March 2013. Starting in September 2013, airline will provide a Siem Reap-Sihanoukville route twice daily during the high peak season.

Airfield summary

• Runway Length: 3,300 metres^[8]
• Runway Width: 40 metres + shoulders
• Perpendicular Taxiway: 1
• Number of Stands: 5
• Navigation Aids and Visual Aids:
  • VOR/DME (KOS 116.00 10°35'22.8N 102°38'31.5)
  • NDB
  • PAPI
  • Meteo
• Rescue and Firefighting: ICAO Level Cat 5

Airlines and destinations

Sihanouk International Airport main gate.

Airlines	Destinations
AirAsia	Kuala Lumpur–International[9]
AirAsia Cambodia	Siem Reap[10]
Cambodia Angkor Air	Ho Chi Minh City,[11] Phnom Penh (resumes 27 October 2024), Siem Reap[12]
SCAT Airlines	Seasonal charter: Novosibirsk, Taraz (flights begin on 30 October 2024)[13]

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at KOS airport. See Wikidata query.

Year	Total[14] Passenger movements	Change%	Total Aircraft movement	Change%
2012	13,022		349
2013	19,713	51.38	570	63.32
2014	43,400[15]	120.16	998	75.09
2015	94,630	118.04	1,853	85.67
2016	156,887	65.79	2,627	41.77
2017	338,000[16]	115.4	5,575	112.2
2018	651,000	92.6	8,274	48.4
2019	1,680,000	158.1	17,824	115.4
2020	221,000	86.9	3,151	82.3
2021	17,000	92	654	79

Accidents and incidents

• On 7 July 1972, a Douglas DC-3 cargo plane of Cambodia Air Commercial registered as XW-PHW overran the runway on landing at Sihanouk International Airport without fatalities but was damaged beyond economic repair.^[17]
• On 25 June 2007, an Antonov An-24 (XU-U4A) operating as PMTair Flight U4 241 en route from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville crashed about five minutes before landing, killing all 22 passengers and crew on board.

See also

• Phnom Penh International Airport
• Siem Reap International Airport

References

1. "Sihanouk international airport report from VINCI Airports – Traffic 2021". VINCI airport. 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
2. "Sihanoukville International Airport". Google Maps. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
3. "Sihanoukville International Airport (KOS)". World Airport Codes. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
4. "Sihanoukville: History". Canby Publications Co. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
5. "Sihanoukville Airport Opens To Airlines". Cambodian Daily. January 16, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
6. "SIHANOUKVILLE AIRPORT RUNWAY DESIGN". MAA Group. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
7. "All dead in Cambodia plane crash". BBC. June 27, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
8. "State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (Cambodia)" (PDF). schedule coordination. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
9. "Sihanoukville's tourism confidence spike as AirAsia restarts services". TTG Asia. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
10. Liu, Jim. "AirAsia Cambodia Outlines Initial Operations From May 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
11. "Cambodia Angkor Air schedules additional Sihanoukville routes from June 2019".
12. "CAMBODIA ANGKOR AIR FILES SIEM REAP-ANGKOR INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE IN NS24". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
13. "Еще один рейс на море: из Новосибирска будут летать самолеты в Камбоджу — там низкие цены и шикарные песчаные пляжи, как на Мальдивах". НГС.ру (in Russian). Сетевое издание «НГС.НОВОСТИ». 30 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
14. "Traffic Data". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
15. "Cambodia Airports to incentivise Sihanoukville tourism". Phnom Penh Post. December 4, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
16. "Vinci Airports - 2017 Q4 traffic and annual performance" (PDF). 18 Jan 2018.
17. "XW-PHW Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 5 September 2010.

External links

• State Secretariat Of Civil Aviation
• Sihanoukville International Airport
• Overview on Transport Infrastructure Cambodia