cool,
not a gas station, rest stop, gh or town
nothing but the open road

Looking at tomorrow's flights into Siem Reap, there are 15.
2 are from PP.
4 are from BKK.
Given the distance of the new airport from SR town, those flights may cease to be viable.
The other 9:
2 from SIN
2 from SGN
and 1 each from
Hanoi, KL, Danang, Busan, Pakse

There is optimism that the longer runway at the new airport will attract wide-bodied arrivals (aircraft not the pax).
Looking at tomorrow's arrivals into PP's PNH (which can already handle wide-bodieds) there are 47 flights, zero wide-bodieds.

rogerrabbit wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 4:08 pm

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 3:20 pm There is optimism that the longer runway at the new airport will attract wide-bodied arrivals (aircraft not the pax).
Looking at tomorrow's arrivals into PP's PNH (which can already handle wide-bodieds) there are 47 flights, zero wide-bodieds.

Before covid PP had daily Emirates and Qatar flying in. Also Turkish Airlines was about to start direct flights in 2020. Also some Japanese and Chinese airlines flew with wide bodies. Better compare with flights before covid than current situation.

Also at Qatar's PP launch they said they want to start flying to SR in near future.

Also even though current PP airport can handle wide-body airplanes, it's not really well suited for them. Heck the planes even have to taxi on the runway at PP.

And flights from BKK will still be viable. I think with bus it takes no less than 12 hours currently? Flying in total time, what 5 hours? 2 hours before in BKK airport, 50 minutes flight, 30 minutes for for luggage in SR and 30-45 minutes drive into city. Still much better than sitting in cramped bus for 12 hours.

SR-PP flights will not be viable once the new expressway is ready.

I'll let you run with the pre-Covid comparisons. Maybe you're right.
As for wide-bodieds at PNH, the airlines don't care whether or not they have to taxi on the runway. That is the airport's business, it limits the number of slots, but with 9 landings a day you've got a lot of time to tootle and up and down the runway before the next arrival is due. The airlines just care about load and revenue factors and right now it is clear what they think about the profitability of flying heavies into Cambodia. I guess a lot will hang on how the Qatar PNH flights go, commercially speaking.

As for flights from BKK, google maps is telling me a road travel time of 5 hr 30 minutes. That is well within the range where pax will be looking at road as a preferable means of transport once you have added the extra time (and cost) of the trip from airport to town. It could actually get you there quicker than flying.

....As for flights from BKK, google maps is telling me a road travel time of 5 hr 30 minutes.

no way>>>>>
I've left SR and arrived soi 4 sukhumvit in 9 hours with only gas/toilet breaks
and at poi pet it could take hours if ur at the wrong time to cross