A Guide to Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI)

The new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI/VDSA) is located about 50 km to the northeast of Siem Reap city in Soutr Nikom District and takes over from the old airport (REP) (now closed) that was located to the northwest of the city center. The new Siem Reap airport is much larger in all facets offering improved services and greater opportunities for direct flights into the province. It is the closest airport to Cambodia’s ancient Angkor Wat temple and archeological park and one of the country’s major three airports, the others being Phnom Penh International Airport and Sihanoukville International Airport.

Jump to: Airport Bus & Transfers | Layout | Visa & Arrival Card | Food, Shopping, & Services | Parking | Airlines | Destinations | About

The new airport is simple and easy to navigate with the comforts you’d expect including restaurants, coffee, washrooms, duty-free stores, luggage carts (free), and facilities you’d expect at a modern airport. It is not a 24-hour airport, it opens on the first flight and closes on the last flight.

Getting to and from the Airport

The most popular destination from the airport is of course, the city of Siem Reap, or Krong Siem Reap, where you find the famous Pub Street, the markets, hotels, guesthouses, and the base for exploring Angkor Wat and all ancient temples, and the attractions of the area, more about Siem Reap and all the amazing things to do.

Airport transfers from the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) to Siem Reap city (Krong Siem Reap) center are offered by an airport shuttle service, private shuttle services, and taxi/hire cars. There is a convenient transportation desk at the airport where you can book a vehicle on arrival for set prices or a shuttle bus ticket. Airport transfer services start at $8 US for the bus and $35 US for a taxi (1-3 passengers).

You can also book transfers in advance with your own choice of company and your hotel provider will also offer services. Cambodia Post also offers a regular shuttle service that can be booked in advance, see here [Facebook].

From the airport, the journey is around 50km taking around 60-90 mins by bus or car traveling along a newly constructed expressway through the scenic farmlands before connecting to National Road 6 and then heading west through Prasat Bakong District and past the Roluos temple area before entering the urban area of Siem Reap.

SAI Airport Shuttle Bus

The official SAI airport shuttle bus is the most cost-effective option and with a convenient drop-off point in the center of town at CDF store – see the route map below for those location. If you are staying centrally, the CDF store stop will be the choice which is within walking distance of Pub Street or otherwise a $2 tuk-tuk fare.

Note: previously there was a stop at Makro and at Angkor Market, both have been discontinued in favor of the one central stop as of June 2024.

You can purchase bus tickets on arrival at the airport, and the ticket counter for the shuttle is located on the ground floor, and to your left as you walk out of the airport.

For heading from Siem Reap city to the airport, tickets can be purchased when boarding at the CDF store, see the map below.

If you wish to purchase tickets in advance or ask any questions, they can also be contacted via phone: EN/KH (+855) 070 665 631 CN: (+855) 087 882 285 and on Telegram: “Airport Bus Booking Ticket”.

Airport shuttle bus timetable (updated 1 September 2024)

Route	Timetable	Cost
SAI Airport > City Center	9:30, 11.00, 12.30, 15:00, 16.00, 17.30, 18.00, 20.00, 22:00	USD 8 one way
City Center > SAI Airport	5.30, 7.00, 8.00, 10.00, 12.00, 13.30, 16.00, 19.00	USD 8 one way

Map of Airport Shuttle stops

Airport Transfer by Taxi/Hire Car

The transportation desk is located on the ground floor, as you walk outside, turn left and there will be a counter for booking a private taxi, or minivan, and next door is the ticket office for the shuttle bus. The rates for Airport <> Siem Reap city are set at fixed rates, for areas outside the city area you can negotiate the fare with the driver directly before setting off. Cars are available at the airport from 6.30 to 23.00.

From the airport to Siem Reap City – The journey is around 50km taking around 60-80 mins, traveling along the newly constructed expressway through the scenic farmlands before connecting to National Road 6 and then heading west through Prasat Bakong District and past the Roluos temple area and then into Siem Reap city. Rates for booking a private car (1-3 passengers) in advance start at around USD 35 and for a minivan (1-5 passengers) USD 45.

From the airport to Svay Leu – The new airport is close to Beng Mealea Temple and Phnom Kulen with a guesthouse on offer in Svay Leu village at the base of Phnom Kulen. Travel time is around 40 minutes to Svay Leu. Rates can be negotiated with the driver.

From the airport to Koh Ker (Srayang Commune) – The new airport is located around 75 km from the Koh Ker temple group in the commune of Srayang Commune. Rates can be negotiated with the driver.

EMS Cambodia Post Airport Shuttle

Cambodia Post offers an airport shuttle service operating on a punctual schedule with bookings required in advance. They operate a small modern shuttle bus and you can book in advance via the Telegram group “Airport Shuttle Express”, via phone (+855) 092 985 007, or via email: [email protected]. The service departs from and drops off at the Post Office here [Google Map]

Route	Timetable	Cost
City Center > SAI Airport	7.00, 9.00, 11.00, 12.30, 14.00, 15.30, 17.00	8 USD one way inc. one luggage
SAI Airport > City Center	10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 15.00, 16.30, 18.00, 20.00	8 USD one way inc. one luggage

Navigating the Airport

The airport is very easy and intuitive to navigate, moreover, there is minimal walking. The distance from the furthest terminal to the entrance/exit is not more than 400m. The airport has two levels with international departures on the upper level with easy vehicle access to drop passengers off directly at the door, and arrivals are on the lower floor. Before entering, you can move between floors via an escalator or elevator.

Domestic departures head to the east wing of the building and the west wing has a VIP arrivals section.

The new airport features aerobridges linking the arrived plane to the air-conditioned terminal, so no more scuttling across the tarmac in the rain or hot sun which is welcomed.

Arriving at SAI Airport

Visa on Arrival – As per the prior airport, Visa on Arrival (VOA) services are offered. A tourist visa (T-type) costs US$30 and is valid for 30 days. Note, if applying for a visa on arrival, you can only pay with cash (USD or local Riel). This can be done at the airport on arrival for certain countries while the recommended and much easier method is to apply for the visa online through the official portal: https://www.evisa.gov.kh

Cambodia e-Arrival – instead of looking for the arrival card to fill in at the airport and a pen to fill it out, it can now be done online in advance through the official portal: https://www.arrival.gov.kh

Services at SAI Airport

Duty-Free Shopping – International departures and arrivals have access to duty-free stores operated by Duty Zero by CDF, along with many featuring locally made products. Most will note that it is geared towards Chinese tastes.

Food and beverage – Basic food, coffee, and drinks are available in all zones, and prices are what you’d expect at an airport. Vendors include Burger King, Coffee Club, and Dim Sum Emperor.

Currency Exchange – currency exchange services are available in arrivals at Bureau de Change, operated by Cambodia Asia Bank (cab.com.kh)

ATM – on opening, there are no ATMs at present but expected to be very soon, likely to handle VISA, Mastercard, and UnionPay dispensing USD or local Riel.

Sim Cards – As you exit the airport there are counters offering sim cards for the three major local phone companies, Metfone, Smart, and Cellcard. The price is the same as you pay in town and either of the three companies is fine. Cellcard for instance, offers a tourist sim with 7-day access and 15 GB for a mere $3 more details. Cambodia operates a 4G network with 5G rollout beginning in 2024.

Airport Parking

Ample outdoor parking is available at the airport entrance for buses, cars, and motorbikes. There is no undercover parking at this time.

Free parking at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport is offered for under 15 minutes for cars less than 7 seats and 30 minutes for other vehicles.

Airlines Servicing Siem Reap Airport

(as of 02/2024)

• Cambodia Angkor Air – cambodiaangkorair.com
• Vietnam Airlines – vietnamairlines.com
• Bangkok Airways – bangkokair.com
• Air Asia – airasia.com
• Singapore Airlines – singaporeair.com
• Lao Airlines – laoairlines.com
• China Eastern – ceair.com
• Sky Angkor Airlines – skyangkorair.com

Destinations from Siem Reap Airport

Destinations via direct flights from SAI (as of 02/2024)

• Cambodia – Phnom Penh (PNH), Sihanoukville (KOS)
• Vietnam – Da Nang (DAD), Noi Bai International – Hanoi (HAN), Tan Son Nhat International – Ho Chi Minh (SGN)
• Thailand – Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Don Mueang International Airport (DMK)
• Singapore – Changi Airport (SIN)
• Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL)
• Laos – Luang Prabang (LPQ), Pakse (PKZ)
• China – Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG)
• South Korea – Muan International Airport (MWX), Incheon International (ICN), Gimhae International Airport (PUS)
• India – New Dehli (DEL) Coming soon

About the airport

See Latest Arrivals and Departures: https://english.sai-airport.com/hbdt

The new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (IATA: SAI, ICAO: VDSA) is located about 50 km to the northeast of Siem Reap city and began flight trials in May 2023 and opened on 16th October 2023 having begun construction in 2020. The airport replaces Siem Reap International Airport (IATA: REP, ICAO: VDSR) which is located around 7km to the northwest of the city with the new airport adding the ability to handle long-haul aircraft.

The new airport will have state-of-the-art facilities to handle passenger and cargo traffic and an initial capacity of 5-7 million passengers annually with planned expansions increasing that capacity to 20 million passengers annually by 2050. Noting that at its peak in 2018, the present airport handled 4.5 million passengers and 44,314 aircraft movements.

The passenger terminal will initially have 15 boarding bridges and be able to accommodate aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 in the initial phase. The runway will be expanded to handle larger aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Boeing 747, Airbus A350, and Airbus A330. This will increase the airport’s capacity to 10 million passengers per year by 2030.

The airport will be developed in three phases:

• Phase 1: Passenger terminal with 15 boarding bridges, cargo terminal, ATC tower, 3,605 meter runway – capacity of 5-7 million passengers annually.
• Phase 2: Expanded runway to handle widebody aircraft. Capacity increased to 10 million passengers annually by 2030.
• Phase 3: Additional expansions to increase capacity to over 20 million passengers annually by 2050

References

• CAPA Center for Aviation
• Phnom Penh Post, “Siem Reap airport to close after new one opens”, March 2023
• Cambodia Airports- Vinci Airports