A $2 billion Chinese-built airport in Cambodia opened its runways to the first planes on Tuesday, bringing hopes for a tourism revival but beset by accusations of land evictions.

Officials hope the facility -- which replaces Phnom Penh's old airport as the capital's main aviation transport hub -- will boost Cambodia's struggling tourism industry.

Built by a major state-owned Chinese construction firm, the Techo International Airport is a 2,600-hectare (10 square mile) behemoth jointly funded by the Cambodian government and the privately-owned Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC).

A water cannon display greeted the first jet -- an Air Cambodia plane travelling from China -- to land at the airport on Tuesday, and traditional Khmer dancers welcomed its 160 passengers as they di

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