Dara Sakor International Airport in Koh Kong conducts flight trials in July 2022

Dara Sakor International Airport in Koh Kong province’s Botum Sakor district is set to conduct flight trials in July, according to the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation. The flight validation or flight testing has been conducted since April 19 and will be completed next week, SSCA’s undersecretary of state and spokesman Sinn Chansereyvutha said yesterday. After these procedures, flight trials are set to be conducted in July this year, he said. Flight validation is a flight assessment of a new or revised instrument flight procedure to confirm that the procedure is operationally acceptable for safety, including required obstacle clearance, flyability, navigation database coding, design accuracy, and required infrastructure. “Dara Sakor International Airport has launched a seven-day technical flight test of key equipment and flight techniques before launching a flight trial in July 2022,” he said. “The airport is currently in the process of testing and measuring the installed equipment to ensure that it meets quality standards in accordance with flight safety requirements,” he said. Prior to the launch, all equipment, such as lighting, radios, landing guides, communications systems, as well as fire trucks and other parts, must be tested to ensure safety, he added. The airport is scheduled to launch a test flight in July this year, after testing equipment that meets technical and safety requirements. However, the project may require additional time to complete the technical procedures as well as obtain the certification or license for the commencement of the entire airport operation, Vutha said. The $350 million project, covering 4.5 hectares of land, is developed by Chinese firm Tianjin Union Development Group (UDG). It will be able to handle long-haul aircraft including the Boeing 777 and Airbus A340. Currently, Cambodia has three airports managed by the Cambodia Airports, a joint venture between Vinci Airports and Muhibbah Masteron Cambodia. However, three new international Airports are under construction – Techo International Airport in Kandal province; Angkor Siem Reap International Airport in Siem Reap province; and Dara Sakor International Airport in Koh Kong province. Additionally, the government is pushing for building domestic airports in Battambang and Mondulkiri provinces. This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources. Khmer Daily