A country in Southeast Asia has started developing a new airport at a cost of $1.2 billion in a move to make the country a "second Singapore."
The first phase of Cambodia's new airport is being constructed around 12.5 miles from its capital, Phnom Penh, and will be able accommodate between 13 to 15 million passengers and around 175,000 tons of cargo each year.
The three-phase construction plan aims to have the Techo Takhmao International Airport host 50 million passengers a year by its completion, which is slated for 2050.
The new airport will reportedly replace the Phnom Penh International Airport, the current largest airport in Cambodia, for commercial flights, while the old airport will be used for domestic flights and as a military airbase, the outlet Airport Technology reported.
Cambodia's new airport is set to become the ninth largest airport globally, according to Airport Technology.
Singapore, which is south of Cambodia, features around half a million flights every year from 100 different airlines to destinations in Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America go through it's airport. It can also host around 42 million passengers a year.
In the Middle East, Dubai is also developing a new airport, which is aiming to be the world's biggest airport and hopes to be able to accommodate a capacity of 260 million passengers annually.
Cambodia's airport will have an architectural design based on the jungles of the country, with trunks reaching up to the roof of the building.
The roof canopy will also use the ventilation system that is adopted in traditional Cambodian huts, where the hot air is ventilated under the roof, essential as the country has high temperatures of around 104 degrees Fahrenheit in its hottest months.
According to The B1M, Cambodia is currently the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia, and the third fastest in Asia overall.
The country has been experiencing an economic resurgence in recent years, which is partly shown in its aviation industry, as the country's three airports have seen 3 million passengers collectively travel through them in the first half of this year, which was a 22 percent increase from the same time last year, The B1M reported.
Per the outlet, it is reportedly predicted that the industry will grow another 67 percent since 2019.
The increased air traffic could be in part due to Cambodia's implementing of the Open Sky Policy initiative, which encourages more international airlines to the country by reducing air traffic right restrictions and increasing the number of flights to allow airlines more freedom to choose their journeys.
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