Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodia Airports, the developer and operator ofthe country’s three international airports, has said it had completed therunway expansion and renovation at Sihanouk International Airport as part ofits post-COVID-19 era business expansion plans.

It extended the 2,500m runway by 800m, reinforced the current airstrip andinstalled an LED airfield lighting system to reduce its carbon footprint, ThePhnom Penh Post newspaper quoted the company’s statement as saying.

The runway is now a 58 million USD investment programme and is scheduled to becommissioned in the last quarter of this year, the company said.

The project was launched in July 2018 and aims at accommodating larger aircraftsuch as B-777-300ER or A-350-1000 operating long-haul direct flights to/from SihanoukInternational Airport, according to Cambodia Airports.

Its CEO Alain Brun said upgrading the runway was crucial to enable more directlong-haul flights into the southwestern coastal province of Preah Sihanouk,where Sihanoukville is located.

Cambodia Airports communications and public relations director Khek Norinda saidthe runway will be operational in the weeks ahead.

In September, the airport handled about 20 weekly inbound and outbound flights,a more than 95 percent nosedive compared to the same period last year.

The scheduled flights connect the airport to Phnom Penh andSiem Reap town of Cambodia, and some Chinese cities.

According to Cambodia Airports, the airport has experienced triple digit growthnearly every year with annual passenger traffic soaring from 94,000 to morethan 1.6 million between 2015 and last year. The number of passengers grew by awhopping 158 percent last year from 2018.

In the last five years, Sihanoukville has become a destination in the makingwith its deep-sea port and pristine beaches, attracting both business investorsand tourists./.