Phnom Penh International Airport

A map pin marked Phnom Penh International Airport can now send a traveler to the wrong place. The airport at Pochentong stopped handling commercial flights in September 2025, and scheduled services moved to Techo International Airport, code KTI. The old site remains a large and historically important part of the capital, but it is no longer where passengers check in or arrive. Its future is being recast as a public park; as of 3 October 2026, that plan was still being prepared, with no permanent visitor timetable published in the official sources reviewed here.

From Pochentong airstrip to the capital’s gateway

The former airport’s name is still familiar to Cambodians: Pochentong. A local history published by Cambodianess traces the site to a small airstrip in 1924 and says construction of an international airport began in 1956, with an official opening on 19 January 1959. The article is co-authored by Cambodian academic Pou Sothirak and researcher Kanhara Eoeng. It describes the airport as a place through which the country’s relationship with the outside world changed, rather than simply a transport terminal.

That account links the airport to several distinct periods in Cambodia’s modern history, including civil conflict and the international presence that followed the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. During 1991 and 1992, Pochentong served as an entry point for the United Nations mission in Cambodia. Such episodes explain why the name carries meaning beyond aviation: generations of residents left, returned, welcomed relatives or encountered a changing political landscape through this western Phnom Penh site.

The facility was modernized as passenger travel expanded, and in 2003 its official name became Phnom Penh International Airport. “Pochentong,” however, remained the everyday name for many people. Cambodia Airports, the former operator, lists its service at the capital’s airport as continuing until 9 September 2025. That endpoint matters for anyone using older maps, guidebooks or saved travel itineraries, many of which still display the former name and the old airport code.

The transition was explicit: Air Cambodia announced that PNH would close at 00:01 on 9 September 2025 and that its Phnom Penh flights would move to Techo International Airport, KTI. Other airlines also transferred their scheduled service. The old airport’s runway and terminal did not vanish, but ordinary commercial passenger operations did. A historic address can remain searchable long after its role in a traveler’s itinerary has ended.

A new public-space plan, still in progress

The government has presented the former airport as a site to preserve and reuse, not simply abandon. In remarks published by Cambodia’s Office of the Council of Ministers on 16 September 2026, Prime Minister Hun Manet said the project was being prepared under the name Pochentong Park. The historic terminal buildings were being restored and trees planted. His remarks also said that part of the runway would remain a reserve airstrip, so the entire former airfield cannot be treated as ordinary parkland.

There has already been a limited public opening. Cambodia’s state news agency reported that the airport grounds opened for a nine-day trial during Khmer New Year, from 11 to 19 April 2026. During that event, visitors could see parts of the terminal, a control tower built in the 1950s, VIP areas and sections of the runway. The temporary hours were 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. These were dates and hours for that trial—not evidence of a permanent daily schedule.

The September government statement described a project still moving toward a broader opening, with plans for recreation and public events and the possibility of leasing some buildings for commercial activity. Those are announced intentions, not a finished visitor service. As of the date checked for this guide, the reviewed official notice did not give a continuing opening date, ticketing procedure or regular hours. Travelers should therefore avoid assuming that the former terminal or tower is currently accessible just because it opened during the April holiday.

Planning around the old airport pin

If you are booking a flight to Phnom Penh, search for and confirm Techo International Airport (KTI) with your airline. Do not use the former PNH location as your arrival or departure address. Air Cambodia’s notice is especially clear about the transition, and Cambodia Airports’ timeline independently records the end of its old airport operations. Check the airport code on the ticket itself rather than relying on an old itinerary, a saved map result or a third-party listing that has not been updated.

If your interest is Pochentong’s history or the proposed park, check the Cambodian government’s latest public announcements before traveling to the site. The April trial opening shows that the grounds can be opened for a defined event, while the September statement shows that restoration and planning were continuing. Until authorities publish regular access details, the safest description is “former airport being prepared for public reuse,” not “park open daily.” Respect any barriers and remember that a section of runway remains reserved for emergency aviation.

The airport’s transformation is part of the story now. For decades, Pochentong was a point of departure and return; in the next phase, the government says it intends to retain historic buildings and create a shared recreational space while keeping an aviation reserve. That change may eventually give residents and visitors a new reason to come here. For now, the useful distinction is simple: KTI serves air passengers, while the former airport is a place of memory whose public access still depends on current official arrangements.