The staggering growth of passenger and cargo air traffic will require more capacity building and human resource development in specialised areas, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An told a regional joint civil aviation committee from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam on Monday, according to the Khmer Times.

“Air transport has played a critically important role in the world’s economic activities, and it remains one of the fastest growing industries of our time,” he said. “All countries increasingly depend on the aviation industry to maintain or stimulate economic growth, as the output of the air transport industry has risen remarkably thanks to the increasing demand for passenger and freight services.”

Tourism is one of the pillars of the Cambodian economy, accounting for more than 16 per cent of GDP. The Kingdom received 4.5 million foreign tourists in 2014 and – if growth trends continue – expects to receive 7.5 million tourists by 2020.

According to Mao Havannal, secretary of state at the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, nearly 50 per cent of international tourists to Cambodia arrive by air transport. He said the country’s two biggest international airports in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap handled 5.7 million passengers in 2014, a 12.4 per cent increase over the previous year.

By 2020, the number of air passengers moving through the two airports will reach over nine million, An pointed out. He said current expansion works will double the capacity of the two airports by 2016 so that they can accommodate the rapid growth in traffic and contribute to the country’s economic growth.