STORY: Construction of Chinese-built airport for Cambodian capital in full swing
SHOOTING TIME: March 12, 2024
DATELINE: March 13, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:04
LOCATION: Phnom Penh
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the airport
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): EL SETHSOVATHA, Techo International Airport project site engineer
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Khmer): OU CHANRATHANA, Techo International Airport project claims manager
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Khmer): CHEY ENEANG, Techo International Airport project employee
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): JIN WEI, Executive manager of the Techo International Airport project for China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd.

STORYLINE:

Robed in a high-vis vest and crowned with a white hard hat, Cambodian site engineer El Sethsovatha is proud and delighted to work with a Chinese company to develop a new airport for the Cambodian capital.
   
Graduated from Phnom Penh-based National Technical Training Institute with a major in civil engineering, the 30-year-old joined the China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. to build the 4F-class Techo International Airport in July 2020.
   
Sethsovatha said working on such a huge project has not only given him invaluable experience, but also made him feel proud of having contributed to the construction of a landmark airport for Cambodia.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): EL SETHSOVATHA, Techo International Airport project site engineer
"I think this airport is very important to Cambodia because it's one of the biggest, so it can transport a lot of tourists from other countries and it can also create more jobs for our local people here, and the economy will be rising when this project is finished."
   
Ou Chanrathana, a 31-year-old claims manager at the Techo International Airport project, said the project will improve the image of the civil aviation industry in the Southeast Asian country.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (Khmer): OU CHANRATHANA, Techo International Airport project claims manager
"For Cambodia, this airport is crucial because it will not only raise our country's profile, but also contribute to boosting the national economy as well as the tourism sector.
In the future, I believe that it will give a boost to our national economy, tourism and other relevant sectors as well as job creation for our Cambodian people."

Chey Eneang, a 23-year-old employee at the Techo International Airport project, said Cambodian people will greatly benefit from this international standard airport.
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (Khmer): CHEY ENEANG, Techo International Airport project employee
"I am very happy to work at this new airport site, which is one of the largest airports in the world.
This new airport is very important for Cambodia because it will give a boost to our economic growth, tourism, and job creation for our Cambodian people."

Invested by Cambodia Airport Investment Co., Ltd, the 1.5-billion-U.S.-dollar airport is being constructed on an area of 2,600 hectares in southern Kandal and Takeo provinces, about 20 km from the capital Phnom Penh.
   
Work on the airport project began in June 2020.
   
Jin Wei, executive manager of the Techo International Airport project for China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd., said the project has employed over 4,000 local Cambodian workers.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): JIN WEI, Executive manager of the Techo International Airport project for China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd.
"The Techo International Airport is a high-level airport, achieving 4F-class. The annual throughput could reach approximately 35 million people. Once completed, this airport will contribute to the development of Cambodia's aviation and tourism sectors."

Speaking during a visit to the project site on Tuesday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet praised the company for making steady progress in its construction work, even during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
   
He said that so far, about 66.1 percent of the total work had been achieved, costing a total of 961 million dollars.
   
"Next year, this airport will be put into commercial operations, and it will be the largest airport in Cambodia," Hun Manet said.
   
"This airport will provide tremendous benefits to the people of Cambodia in the long run, creating a lot of jobs for them," he said. "It will be a catalyst for Cambodia's economic growth, tourism and logistics development."
   
Mao Havannall, minister in charge of Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said when the construction is completed, the Techo International Airport will become the main gateway for international passengers to Cambodia.
   
"The 4F-class Techo International Airport in the first phase will be officially put into operations in the first half of 2025," he said.
   
Havannall said the airport will be capable of handling 13 million passengers a year in the first phase, 30 million passengers in the second phase after 2030, and up to 50 million passengers in 2050 in the third phase.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Phnom Penh.
(XHTV)