{"asset":"news","key":"1715","locale":"en","id":"news:1715:en","entityId":"news:1715","canonicalUrl":"https://www.kps-tv.com/en/news/detail/1715","state":"ready","title":"A brief history of Phnom Penh International Airport before its September 9 closure","summary":"Phnom Penh International Airport was due to transfer its mission to Techo on September 9, 2025. The report traces its 1924 origins, 2003 renaming, architecture and historical uses before the new 4F airport takes over.","body":"Phnom Penh — Phnom Penh International Airport will end its mission on September 9, 2025, after 66 years serving aviation. Pochentong International Airport was renamed Phnom Penh International Airport on January 15, 2003. It was first established in 1924 during the French protectorate.\nThe terminal and control tower were designed by French architect Pierre Dufau (1908–1985). The VIP arrival pavilion was designed by leading Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann and built in 1963 as a steel structure covered with fabric panels.\n* Initial construction (1924)\nThe French protectorate government established the small Pochentong airfield in 1924, mainly to serve the military and transport documents within the French Indochina aviation network.\n* Use during World War II and the Japanese occupation (1941–1945)\nDuring Japan’s occupation of Cambodia, the airport was expanded for military purposes, but not rebuilt. Japanese forces used it for troop movements and logistics.\n* From the 1960s to the present\nDuring the Khmer Rouge period, the airport became the only location for supplying Phnom Penh’s needs after the Khmer Rouge took control of water and land routes in April 1975. Following the fall of the Khmer Republic, it was almost entirely closed to international travel, except for a few direct flights from Beijing and Pyongyang. These carried cadres to train the new government, as well as Cambodian intellectuals and diplomats who voluntarily returned home.\nThe airport’s next mission will transfer to the modern 4F Techo International Airport. Its ability to receive aircraft of all types and sizes will attract tourists and air cargo from around the world, reflecting Cambodia’s continuing development and prestige under peace.\nPreah Sihanouk Provincial Television — By: ចិន្តា ទីទិ","contentScope":"full","proof":{"publishedSourceRevision":"1","publishedWorkingVersionId":"18589","languageVersionId":"18783","visibilityVersion":"2","versionToken":"a1.2gnQCZs5GhvkVbbc8hrss2c-nckmgm1cIegu89ettz8"},"availableLocales":["zh","en","km"],"attributes":{"sourceLocale":"km","translationKind":"machine","nodeId":"12","authorText":"","sourceName":""},"references":[],"links":[],"publishedAt":"2025-09-07T08:27:14Z"}