Planes, prayers, and a golden Buddha: Inside Cambodia’s $2 billion

Kandal, Cambodia —

On a humid day in early September, orange-robed monks gathered in the departures hall of Cambodia’s newest airport, chanting blessings over a 30-foot golden statue that now watches travelers as they prepare for departure.

Only after the nine-ton Buddha was blessed could planes begin to land at Phnom Penh’s Techo International Airport.

Four days later, Air Cambodia flight K6 611 from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou taxied in under the spray of celebratory water cannons as traditional Khmer dancers in silk costumes performed in the arrivals hall.

On October 20, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet cut a ribbon to officially inaugurate the airport.

“This is a new achievement reflecting Cambodia’s long-term development vision,” he told reporters at the site.

Abo