Phnom Penh Airport

Not Verified | Very modest airport that clearly cannot handle a high volume of flights. Check in is very modest and slow and people speak very basic English. Undoubtedly, we are facing a country that urgently needs tourism and foreign funds to improve the quality of its infrastructure. Fortunately, the new international airport in Phnom Penh will open in a few years and I hope they will be able to guarantee the cleanliness of the space, a better quality of service, increase the number of places where you can sit and also the spaces before boarding.

Not Verified | To say this airport is disastrous is a major understatement. Staff are the most incompetent people I’ve had to interact with at any airport. They are lazy, moody and rude and they spent more time on their phones scrolling through tiktok than trying to help me check in. It is also excruciatingly difficult to have a quick and easy check on when none of the staff speak more than 10 words of English and they blatantly ignore you. There was 1 tall lanky man in a grey suit working for Vietnam Airlines who came right up close to me and coughed on me with no mask on and proceeded to push my trolley with my bags away. He is just one of the pivotal reasons why I hated my experience at this airport.

✅ Trip Verified | We came on a domestic flight, everything was fast including getting our big check in bag. We should only stay 24 hours in the city, so we wanted to store the big bag in the airport, but 'sorry sir, we are renovating that area, no lockers!' Outside the wolfs are waiting, ready to help you with a taxi to town for 15 usd. There are busses going to town, but three different routes, so you need to know up front, which one. We read that they have train service also, but when you ask outside, they just shake their heads. We booked a grab tuktuk for 3.5 usd. Completely ok, if you only have one big bag.

Not Verified | Upon my departure from Phnom Penh International Airport, I was turned away from the transfer point and required to pay a $30 a tourist visa entry fee for a 4 hour layover while flying from Vietnam to catch my international departure flight from Cambodia. A waiver was not considered even with documentation supporting ongoing travel. The process of application requires a cash payment and is terribly inefficient. Additionally most vendors refuse to accept credit card payment in the arrival terminal. If you are considering travel to and from south east Asia, I would avoid Cambodia as an entry and departure point.

✅ Trip Verified | Airport is brand new after going through modern reconstruction. Airport surrounding has also gone through a modern reconstruction. Signage was seen throughout the airport, passport control and security is upstairs, accessed through an escalator. Pens used to fill out a departure form, were running out with no other pens in the surrounding area. Passport control was quick and so was security (despite there being a long line, it soon disappeared). Couple of food shops, Chinese dim sum, Khmer etc. Overall, the airport has been refitted to a modern state, gates, shops etc, were new and staff were friendly.

✅ Trip Verified | Nice airport. Fairly modern. The washrooms were clean and well maintained. It’s a fairly small airport. There seemed to be a lot of security around the day we departed. Airside international there is not much choice of food, however I noticed across the road seemed to be popular with locals. There was a coffee shop, ouch $5 for an iced coffee, also some food there, very expensive. Going through security etc you go upstairs via escalator. The oddest sight, all booths open for both security and immigration yet we were the only ones there. First time that’s ever happened and I suspect last. There were a few places to eat or drink airside and they seemed ok although we were not hungry. Definitely liked this airport. A very positive experience.

✅ Trip Verified | Absolute incompetence from security. Overweight and undertrained "passport control" waved me to back of the queue to answer personal call. Seems to take three individuals to do the work of one person. Airport management need to seriously evaluate this part of the airport staff, both in training and general intelligence. Top marks for Cathay Pacific check in and the friendly and helpful duty free staff. Pleasant and clean terminal and good facilities otherwise but prices are ridiculously high in some places.

In November, Phnom Penh air travelers started using a spacious new terminal equipped with 50 percent more check-in counters than now, twice as many immigration counters, and three times as many X-ray machines for carry-on bags. In Cambodia’s largest airport expansion ($100 mil) in a generation, the new airport terminal will seem like an upscale shopping mall. There is a large food court, twice as much floor space for duty free, and a host of new food and beverage vendors never seen that far west on Russian Boulevard. Last week the VIP and Premium lounges opened and are as good as any in a terminal this size. It all looks very clean and organized though I have yet to see the new terminal when there are great numbers of people arriving or departing.

Ground service is not very good, except the fact that the process is slow because of the small space. Soon it will be okay after the terminal expansion. The waiting room is good as it has some restaurants and some entertainment. However, I would suggest that they have more stores, especially conveniences stores or more duty-free stores.

Phnom Penh airport is a small airport, albeit there is construction to make it bigger. The departure hall can be crowded with limited seating. As one can walk in and out of the building with virtually no security checks, it can be easier to walk over to the arrivals area if one has to wait a longer time. There it is much quieter and there are a few restaurants. Prices here are (much) higher then in town. The airport is located only a few hundred meters from the main road from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. It is therefore possible to get off a bus from Sihanoukville right at the airport. The airside is somewhat bigger with enough seating and some electrical outlets too. There are a few places for food and drinks. There is also a smoking room and obviously toilets. On arrival, one has to pass the visa on arrival circus which all in all works pretty smooth but you will spend some 15 minutes there. Getting a taxi is also pretty organised as you buy a voucher for transport to the city. It does help if you know where you are going because these taxi drivers did not pass any Knowledge.