The China-funded Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, Cambodia's newest and largest airport, was put into use on Oct 16. 

The airport is a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative and the first international airport project implemented by Chinese companies under the construction-operation-transfer model. 

Shanxi CIG Machinery Construction Group, based in North China's Shanxi province, participated in the airport construction that began on November 2020. It was responsible for the construction of the new runway, four vertical liaison lanes, some parallel taxi channels, and permanent water supply projects. 

The new airport, designed to accommodate an annual passenger throughput of 7 million, will greatly improve local civil aviation infrastructure and air transportation capacity. 

In addition, the airport, located just 40 kilometers away from the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site – Angkor Archaeological Complex, has taken precautions to ensure the noise from the departing and landing aircraft do not interfere with or negatively impact this historic site.