Phnom Penh Airport Moved: Why You Land at KTI, Not PNH (Guide for Americans)

What actually changed: a new airport, a new code, a new location

Three things changed at once, and it helps to keep them separate in your head. First, the airport itself is new — a different building on a different piece of land, not the old terminal with a fresh coat of paint. Second, the location moved out of the city. The old airport sat inside Phnom Penh; Techo International is roughly 12 miles southwest, in a less built-up area with room to grow. Third, the airport code changed from the old PNH to KTI to reflect the new facility. Put together, that is why this feels bigger than a typical airport upgrade — because it is.

The old Phnom Penh airport (PNH) is closed to commercial flights

The airport US travelers used for years — close to the city, smaller, and increasingly stretched — stopped handling commercial passenger flights on September 9, 2025. You will not fly into it, clear Immigration there, or pick it up from there. Any current itinerary that routes you to Phnom Penh is, in practice, routing you to the new Techo field even if a legacy code is still printed somewhere.

Techo International (KTI) is where you land now

Techo International is a large, modern, purpose-built airport designed to handle far more passengers than the old field ever could. For you as an arriving American, that means a bigger, cleaner terminal, more space in the arrivals hall, and an e-Arrival kiosk row built for the new system. It also means a different layout to learn and a longer drive into the city center, both of which we cover below. The visa and entry rules are exactly the same as before — what changed is the building you walk through and how far it is from your hotel.

None of this changes who needs a visa or how you get one. US citizens still apply for a Cambodia eVisa online before they fly, the Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in and the Business eVisa is $90 USD all-in, both approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF by email. The only airport-related thing you have to get right is selecting Phnom Penh / Techo International on the form. If you are also weighing how the new airport stacks up against the old one, our returning-traveler guide to what changed at Techo (KTI) lays out the before-and-after in detail.

Why your ticket or booking might still say PNH

Here is the part that causes the most second-guessing. You bought a flight to Phnom Penh, you look at the booking, and it still shows the old PNH code — or a flight-search site you used does. Does that mean you are landing at the closed airport? No. Airport-code transitions take time to ripple through every booking tool, third-party app, and cached guide on the internet, even after the airlines themselves have switched. The plane is going to the new airport. The label on your screen is just lagging behind reality.

Your airline moved its Phnom Penh operations to Techo International on the changeover, so the physical destination of any Phnom Penh flight is the new field regardless of which code is displayed. If you see KTI, that is the new airport and you are reading current information. If you see the old PNH code in a booking made before the switch or in an older itinerary, treat it as a stale label pointing to the same city — your flight still lands at Techo International. You do not need to rebook, call the airline, or do anything special; you just need to know where you are actually going.

This matters most when you fill out your travel paperwork. On the Cambodia eVisa, you select your port of entry, and for any capital arrival the correct choice is Phnom Penh / Techo International — shown as Phnom Penh, Techo, Techo International, or the code KTI depending on the form. Do not go hunting for the old PNH option; selecting the Phnom Penh / Techo entry is correct. Our guide to the e-Arrival port of entry at KTI (Techo) walks through entering the same airport on the arrival side so both records line up.

What the move means for your arrival day

The biggest practical change for US travelers is distance. The old airport was inside the city, a quick ride from most central hotels. Techo International sits about 12 miles southwest, so the transfer into Phnom Penh takes longer — plan on a meaningfully bigger window between landing and check-in, especially if you arrive during busy traffic hours. This is not a reason for concern, just a reason to pad your schedule. If you have a same-day domestic connection or a tight first-night dinner reservation, give yourself extra buffer.

The terminal itself is new, larger, and laid out differently from the old field, so do not rely on muscle memory if you have flown into Phnom Penh before. Follow the arrivals signage to Immigration, have your printed eVisa PDF and your e-Arrival confirmation ready before you reach the counter, then continue to baggage and ground transport. The arrivals hall has more room and a dedicated e-Arrival kiosk row, which generally makes the flow smoother than the cramped old terminal once you know where you are going.

Budget for the transfer in both time and money. Because the airport is farther out, the ride into the city costs more than the old short hop did, and the options — official taxi, ride-hailing, and hotel pickup — each have their own price and wait. We break the choices and current fares down in our guide to Techo Airport to Phnom Penh transport costs for Americans, so you can decide before you land rather than negotiating tired at the curb.

What the airport move does NOT change

It is just as important to know what stayed the same. The airport moved, but the visa rules around it did not. A new building does not mean new entry requirements, and several things US travelers worry about are simply unaffected by the relocation.

• Your visa requirement is unchanged. US citizens still need a Cambodia eVisa, applied for online before you fly — the new airport does not add a visa-on-arrival shortcut you should rely on.
• The cost is unchanged. The Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in and the Business eVisa is $90 USD all-in, both approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF by email.
• The visa terms are unchanged. Your eVisa is single-entry, valid for three months from issue, with a 30-day stay — the same whether you land at KTI, Siem Reap-Angkor (SAI), or Sihanouk International (KOS).
• The e-Arrival Card is still mandatory. Every air arrival files the separate 14-field e-Arrival Card within 7 days before flying, and KTI is the port of entry you enter on it for a capital arrival.
• The Thailand land borders are still closed. All seven Thailand-Cambodia land crossings have been closed since June 2025, so the new airport does not reopen an overland route from Bangkok.

The one thing to keep tidy is consistency. The airport you pick on the eVisa, the airport on your e-Arrival Card, and the airport your flight actually lands at should all be the same place — Phnom Penh / Techo International (KTI) for a capital arrival. To keep those records aligned, walk through our guide to filling out the Cambodia e-Arrival Card for US citizens, which covers the arrival-airport field step by step.

The bottom line for US travelers

Here is the whole thing in one line: Phnom Penh's airport moved, you now land at Techo International (KTI) and not the old PNH, and the only thing you have to do about it is select Phnom Penh / Techo International on your visa and arrival forms. The old PNH code still floating around on a booking is a stale label, not a different destination. Your Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in and your Business eVisa is $90 USD all-in, both approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF by email — none of that changed when the airport did.

Two things to do before you fly. First, apply for your eVisa and pick Phnom Penh / Techo International (KTI) for the capital. Second, file your separate e-Arrival Card within 7 days before departure with the same airport selected, so your visa and arrival records tell one consistent story. Pad your arrival day for the longer transfer into the city, and the rest of the move is invisible to you. Our guide to the e-Arrival port of entry at KTI confirms exactly how to enter the new airport on the arrival side.

Next steps and related reading for Americans: apply for your Cambodia eVisa when you are ready to lodge, bookmark our Cambodia visa hub for US citizens as the single canonical reference, read the Techo Airport arrival walkthrough so you know the new terminal flow, and check the Techo to Phnom Penh transport costs before you land.