CAMBODIA: Abandoned Battambang Airport To Open Soon

Work on reopening the abandoned airport in Battambang province has started. Officials said it follows a call made by the government to open wider the gateway to the province, well-known for its agriculture.

Officials from the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), the country’s body in charge of aviation and local relevant officials in Battambang province, have started discussing details and have visited the airport, said SSCA’s spokesman Chea Aun.

“Work progress is under way and we want to make a specific development plan,” Aun said.

Premier Hun Sen last week announced his intention to reopen the airport, which he said would particularly help tourism. The PM asked local authorities to restrict building any high buildings near to the abandoned airport that may affect more development in the future.

However, Aun did not mention whether or not the operation of the airport will be granted to private companies to manage as is the case with the three international airports currently under the management of Cambodia Airports, a subsidiary of France-based Vinci Airports.

Battambang Airport once had the Kingdom’s busiest runways when it opened in 1968 but its fortunes took a downward turn in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge came to power.

The small airfield, located three kilometres from Battambang’s city centre was reopened and used for civilian aircraft for a period of time until the end of the 1990s, but it never returned to full operational status.

Tourism Observer

International Air Transport Association Warns Governments Against Privatising Airports

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned governments against privatising airports in a bid to upgrade them.

Several governments in Europe and America have either fully or partially sold airports to the private sector to inject funds for giving the facilities facelift as passenger numbers rise.

It is important that governments take a long-term view focusing on solutions that will deliver the best economic and social benefits.

Selling airport assets for a short-term cash injection to the treasury is a mistake, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General on Monday.

IATA added that short-term financial gains based on poorly-thought out privatisation moves run the risk of un-doing long-term social and economic benefits that can be achieved through well-thought decisions.

According to data by the Airports Council International, passenger numbers at the world’s 20 busiest airports grew to 1.5 billion last year, an increase of 5.2 per cent from 2016.

At least 40 per cent of European airports are partly under private ownership, through long-term leasing or concession, says the Annual Privatization Report on air transport released in April.

Leading airports such as Heathrow and Zurich are fully privately owned while in Africa, Cape Town International Airport is partially under private ownership.

Last year, Nigeria opened up ownership of all government-owned airports to private investors as part of reviving the facilities that for years have suffered neglect and dilapidation.

German government sold 82.5 per cent of its ownership in Frankfurt Airport to HNA Airport Group of China last year.

France started efforts to sell 50.6 per cent of its ownership in Aeroports de Paris for 8 billion euros ($9.36 billion) in March.

In Serbia, airports concession holder and operator Vinci Airports secured a 25-year concession for ownership of Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, in January.

Under the deal, the private firm will spend $1.2 billion to upgrade the terminal and runaways while paying the government $500 million.

Juniac added that privatisation does not guarantee solutions for airport challenges globally.


Tourism Observer