Cambodia Airports this week confirmed that all three major airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville had received their ACI (Airport Council International) AHA (Airport Health Accreditation) accreditations.
The international accreditation ensures Cambodia’s airports are fully aligned with the industry best practices and instil confidence in air travel.
In the ASEAN region, the three Cambodian airports are among the first to have obtained the ACI Airport Health Accreditation, and in the “category of small and medium airports (less than 15 million passengers a year), Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville airports stand atop the podium” said VINCI Airports.
VINCI Airports has been running the international campaign “Protecting each other” at all airports based on hygiene recommendations issued by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Alain BRUN, CEO of Cambodia Airports, said: “By putting the health safety of its passengers and airport users first, Cambodia Airports remains true to itself as one of Cambodia’s key public service providers. I must commend the outstanding cooperation between Cambodian health authorities and our teams. Having a reliable health system at its airports ensures that Cambodia will be looked at favourably when air travel restarts and people browse around destinations to visit either for leisure or business opportunities.”
The audits took place in November 2020 and focused on the health and hygiene measures put in place in the three airports in the context of COVID-19, including:
- Cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing, staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities.
- Processes specifically adjusted to protect passengers and the airport personnel when they interact (check-in, boarding, or disembarkation), and customers and those who cater to them at various outlets (duty-free, Food & Beverage, business lounge).
Cambodian air travel 2020
In November 2020, Cambodia Airports said the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in a drop of 78 per cent in passenger traffic at Cambodia’s three international airports during the first 10 months of 2020 compared with 2019 figures.
Khek Norinda, communication and public relations director for Cambodia Airports, said: “traffic is limited to flights originating from a few Chinese cities, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei as well as several flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City and of course our own domestic flights.”
The Khmer Times reported that “tourism experts estimate that Cambodia’s tourism sector will return to normal gradually under two potential scenarios measured three years (2020-2023) and five years (2020-2025).”
Find out more about the state of Cambodian airports here.
