Cambodia's Airports Lost 551,000 Passengers in Nine Months as Cargo Rose 18%

Cambodia's three international airports processed 4,558,155 passengers in the first nine months of 2026, an 11 percent drop from 5,109,325 in the same period of 2025. Air cargo moved in the opposite direction, rising 18 percent to 76,294 tonnes from 64,513 tonnes, according to the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA).

The figures cover Techo International Airport, Siem Reap Angkor International Airport and Sihanouk International Airport. Aircraft movements across the three gateways fell a comparatively mild two percent, to 46,721 from 47,637.

What is driving the passenger decline?

SSCA spokesperson Sinn Chanserey Vutha attributed the falling traffic to forces outside aviation's control. "The decrease is mostly driven by external factors outside the control of the aviation sector," he told Kiripost.

He named three culprits. The Cambodia-Thailand border conflict has dented tourist flows and regional connectivity. The Middle East conflict has raised fuel prices and airfares while disrupting Gulf hub connections. Slower regional and global growth has made travellers more cautious about spending on tourism.

The network itself held nearly intact. Thirty-five airlines — four domestic, 31 international — continued operating in Cambodia, and frequencies fell only two percent. "This demonstrates that airlines maintain their connectivity networks and confidence in the Cambodian market for the long term," Chanserey Vutha said, adding that air travel remains more resilient than road travel.

September was the weakest month yet. The three airports handled 398,402 passengers, down 11 percent from August and 20 percent against September 2025. Movements fell to 4,532, eight percent below August and 10 percent below the prior year.

Why is cargo growing while passengers fall?

Not everything declined. September cargo volume reached 9,735 tonnes, up three percent month-on-month and 25 percent year-on-year. Overflights — flights transiting Cambodian airspace without landing — reached 69,149 for the nine months, up eight percent, and 7,529 in September, up 12 percent year-on-year despite a 10 percent monthly dip.

Chanserey Vutha credited the 18 percent cargo growth to improved infrastructure, demand for time-sensitive shipments and e-commerce expansion. A new cargo warehouse at Techo International Airport has lifted capacity for larger volumes and a wider variety of goods, he said.

Supply-chain disruption has played its part. Some businesses have shifted consignments from maritime shipping to air freight, while demand for high-value imports and exports has grown.

The government's open-skies policy, including an air transport agreement with the United States, has created additional opportunities for cargo flights, according to the spokesperson. Exports by air include garments, footwear, travel goods, electronic and electrical spare parts, e-commerce parcels, and fresh agricultural produce. Imports are dominated by factory raw materials, spare parts, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, machinery, technological devices and high-value consumer goods. Postal and express volumes have also risen with e-commerce.

How do the airports compare on capacity?

Between October 12 and 18, 2026, Cambodia's four airports — the three international gateways plus Dara Sakor — averaged 1,168 weekly return flights. Techo International Airport dominated with 820 per week. Siem Reap Angkor managed 292, Sihanouk 52, and Dara Sakor four, all on the Techo route.

Cambodia has also signed 48 Air Service Agreements as of 2026. The breakdown: 10 ASEAN states, eight East Asian partners, three in Southwest Asia, six in West Asia, 13 in Europe, two in Oceania, one each in North and South America, and four in Africa. Major counterparties include China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Paper access, however, has not translated into passenger growth during the reporting period. The nine-month data show agreements in force while traffic fell.

What comes next?

"We expect that air cargo transport will maintain good momentum during the year-end season," Chanserey Vutha said. He tempered the forecast, cautioning that growth could slow against a high fourth-quarter 2025 baseline, with global economic uncertainty and fuel prices still in play. The SSCA says it will keep working with ministries, institutions and airlines to expand connectivity and restore passenger demand.