Departure
95%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Phnom Penh International Airport (VDPP), long known as Pochentong, was Cambodia's principal international gateway, sited at Pou Senchey some 10 km west of the capital. Commercial passenger operations ceased on 8 September 2025 with the opening of the new Techo International Airport, but the field is being preserved as a historical site and remains usable for military and private aviation, making it an intriguing stop for the simulator pilot exploring Southeast Asian airspace.
Phnom Penh International Airport, ICAO VDPP and formerly styled Pochentong International Airport, served as Cambodia's main air gateway for over six decades until commercial flights ended in September 2025 with the transfer of operations to the new Techo International Airport. It was operated for much of its recent history by Société Concessionnaire de l'Aeroport (SCA), trading as Cambodia Airports, a joint venture majority-owned by Vinci Airports. For a virtual pilot, VDPP offers a long single instrument runway, a rich and turbulent history stretching back to the 1920s, and the novelty of flying into a field now preserved for its heritage rather than for scheduled traffic.
The airport lies in the Pou Senchey district of Phnom Penh, roughly 10 km west of the city centre. It sits within Cambodian controlled airspace served by an area control centre, approach and tower facilities, reflecting its former status as the country's principal international aerodrome.
VDPP has a single physical runway aligned 05/23, some 9,842 to 9,350 feet long (the two ends recorded at very slightly different lengths) with a hard surface and runway lighting throughout. The 23 approach is equipped with an ILS, while runway 05 is lit but has no instrument approach recorded. Field elevation is 36 feet.
Radio services recorded for the field include an Area Control Centre on 127.5 MHz, Approach on 123.8 MHz, an ATIS broadcast on 127.25 MHz, and Tower on 118 MHz. The presence of ILS on runway 23 supports instrument approaches to that end of the field.
The site has been used as an airfield since 1924, predating Cambodian independence, and was one of a number of airstrips developed in the country during the Japanese occupation. After independence in 1953, King Norodom Sihanouk ordered the construction and improvement of airstrips, and the airport that became Pochentong took shape under his patronage. During the Cambodian War the field was used extensively for military and civilian airlifts; between October and December 1973 alone, C-130s of the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing flew in some 3,000 tons of rice. After Phnom Penh's other land and water supply routes were cut by the Khmer Rouge in April 1975, the airport became the city's sole remaining lifeline until the fall of the Khmer Republic later that year, after which it was almost entirely closed to international travel, with only occasional flights to and from Beijing and Pyongyang. In July 1995 the Royal Government of Cambodia signed a concession agreement with the French-Malaysian joint venture that became Société Concessionnaire de l'Aeroport, committing to a 100 million dollar improvement programme over a twenty-year concession. Air France operated an Airbus A340 service to Paris via Bangkok, later routed via Ho Chi Minh City, from March 2011 until March 2013. A further 100 million dollar terminal expansion programme was announced in 2014 to accommodate rising passenger numbers. Following government plans to build new airports for both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and after debate over the future of the concession, Prime Minister Hun Manet announced on 16 May 2025 that Pochentong Airport would be preserved as a historical site in recognition of its origins under King Father Norodom Sihanouk. Passenger operations ended on 8 September 2025 with the transfer of services to the newly built Techo International Airport.
Commercial passenger services at Phnom Penh International Airport ceased on 8 September 2025, with all scheduled traffic transferred to the new Techo International Airport. The field is being preserved as a historical site rather than demolished, and it continues to be available for military and private aviation use, giving it a continuing, if much reduced, flying role.