AKP Phnom Penh, February 08, 2021 --

Phnom Penh Airport celebrates the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine to Cambodia, said Cambodia Airports in a press release, underlining that as air gateways to Cambodia, the international airports reassert their essential role, delivering public service mission by assisting Cambodian authorities in the fight against COVID-19.

On Feb. 7, 2021, a plane from China touched down on the airport’s runway with 600,000 doses of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine on board. This first batch is a donation by the Chinese government. To mark the important event, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Cambodian Prime Minister presided over a ceremony held under the airport’s iconic Royal Canopy. 

“Today’s delivery of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates the essential contribution of the airports to the country’s fight against the pandemic,” said Mr. Alain BRUN, CEO of Cambodia Airports, the company that develops and manages Cambodia’s network of international airports.
 
“Since day one, our company has ensured that our facilities remained open and fully operational to cater to passenger and cargo flights, fulfilling vital humanitarian and economic roles,” he added. 

Cambodia is one of the countries in the world with the lowest rate of COVID-19 infection. 

To this day, Cambodian authorities have reported no fatalities and only 18 cases are active out of the 474 ones tallied since the pandemic outbreak in early 2020. 

According to the press release, aligning with health safety measures enforced by Cambodian authorities and in line with the “Protecting Each Other” campaign deployed by VINCI Airports throughout its network, the three international airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville have implemented a full array of hygiene protections based on guidelines laid out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). 

Last November, thanks to this strong commitment, the airports received the Airport Health Accreditation after being audited by teams of the Airports Council International (ACI). 

In the ASEAN region, they were among the first accredited platforms, in the same league as bigger regional hubs in Singapore, Jakarta, and Manilla. Under the category of small and medium airports (less than 15 million passengers a year), Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville airports stood atop the podium.

                                                                    (Photo: Khem Sovannara & El Vattanac)

By Chea Vannak