Farewell to Pochentong International Airport: A Tale To Be Remembered Forever
Phnom Penh International Airport was built by the French in 1957 and inaugurated on January 19, 1959, under the name Pochentong International Airport. In 2003, it was renamed Phnom Penh International Airport | Photo by Rin Ousa
In an article published by Cambodianess, Pou Sothirak and Kanhara Eoeng bid farewell to Cambodia's landmark Pochentong International Airport. Pochentong's closing and the opening of the new Techno International Airport marks the closing of a chapter in Cambodia's modern history, which started with Pochentong as a small airstrip in 1924 under the French colonial administration, standing resilient over years of strain.
On September 8, 2025, Cambodians gathered in quiet reflection as the last planes departed from Pochentong International Airport. For nearly seven decades, this landmark stood as the country’s primary gateway to the world. A day later, on September 9, the curtain rose on the gleaming new Techo International Airport, inaugurated with much celebration. The shift marks not just the end of an era in aviation, but also the closing of a chapter in Cambodia’s modern history.
Pochentong’s story stretches back more than a century. The site first served as a small airstrip in 1924 under the French colonial administration, later repurposed by Japanese forces during the Second World War. But its transformation into a true international airport began in December 1956, when construction was launched under French supervision. The airport officially opened on January 19, 1959—just a few years after Cambodia gained independence in 1953.
King Norodom Sihanouk, the architect of independence, envisioned aviation as a symbol of Cambodia’s sovereignty and progress. Pochentong became his flagship project. The airport’s VIP hall was designed by the legendary Vann Molyvann, whose “New Khmer Architecture” fused modernist styles with distinctly Khmer motifs. At its unveiling, the airport was hailed as a masterpiece and a national statement of arrival on the world stage.
