Siem Reap Airport (SAI): Getting to Town, Fares and Arrival

Code, Opening and Location

Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport carries the IATA code SAI and the ICAO code VDSA. It opened on 16 October 2023, and air traffic at the old Siem Reap airport, coded REP, stopped a day earlier. The new site sits in Soutr Nikom District. Wikipedia puts it about 50 km east of Siem Reap and 40 km east of Angkor Wat. Angkor Photography Tours gives the distance to town as 45 km, so sources differ by 5 km. Either way, this is not a short hop. Wikivoyage says transfers take much longer than they did to the old airport and gives no minute count.

If your booking or an old guide still says REP, it is out of date. Hello Angkor lists the old airport, about 7 km northwest of the city, as closed. All flights now use SAI.

Size and Who Runs It

The airport cost US$1.1 billion and sits on about 700 hectares. Its runway is 3,605 m long, and the terminal has 15 jet bridges. The first phase is built to handle about 7 million passengers a year.

Construction began in July 2018, and the airport operates under a 55-year build-operate-transfer agreement with Yunnan Investment Holdings, operated by Yunnan Aviation Industry Investment Group. Wikipedia also notes that minibuses with up to 15 seats serve the airport, and that an expressway connecting it to the city is planned rather than open.

Airlines and Routes

Wikipedia lists Singapore Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, AirAsia Cambodia, VietJet, Vietnam Airlines, IndiGo from Kolkata, Emirates via Bangkok, and Cambodian carriers at SAI. Routes include Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur. Several of these airline entries carry a citation-needed tag on Wikipedia, so treat the network as changing and confirm your route with the airline.

Singapore Airlines and AirAsia moved their Siem Reap services to SAI in September 2023, ahead of the formal opening.

What This Means for Your Temple Tour

Every guided Angkor tour starts from your hotel in Siem Reap, not from the airport. No tour on this site includes an airport transfer unless its own listing says so, and none of the current listings do. The closest thing is hotel pickup, which tours such as the Angkor Wat Full-Day Tour with Sunset offer in town for $14 per person, with the $37 Angkor Pass paid separately.

Plan one night in town before a sunrise start. The Angkor Wat Small-Group Sunrise Tour costs $15 per person, runs 8 to 9 hours, and you pay $52 in total with the pass, so it only works from a hotel, not from a plane.

One Terminal and Room to Grow

SAI works as a single terminal serving both domestic and international flights, per Cleartrip's airport page. The first phase handles about 7 million passengers a year through 15 jet bridges, and Wikipedia notes plans to expand capacity to 12 million a year by 2030. Published opening hours are not stated on an official page, so check your flight time directly with your airline rather than planning around a fixed terminal schedule.

Cleartrip says the 3,605 m runway already takes widebody aircraft such as the A350 and the 787.

45 to 60 Minutes in Normal Traffic

Wikipedia puts SAI about 50 km east of Siem Reap and 40 km east of Angkor Wat. The Siem Reap Trip guide gives 40 to 50 km and 45 to 60 minutes by road in normal traffic. Cleartrip gives about 51 km with the same 45 to 60 minute range. The published distances spread between 40 and 51 km depending on the source, and the drive is longer than it was from the old airport, which Hello Angkor puts about 7 km northwest of the city.

Siem Reap Trip warns that a landing around 10 to 11 PM may not get you to your hotel much before midnight. If your plan is the Angkor Wat Highlights Sunrise Tour the next morning, that late arrival matters: its pickup is 4:15 to 4:35 AM, which leaves very little sleep. One night in town before an early temple start is worth considering, and you should check the pickup time of any of the Angkor Wat tours from Siem Reap before you book.

Shuttle, Taxi and Tuk-Tuk Compared

The shuttle bus is the cheapest option at $8 one way per seat and drops passengers at 7 Makara St in town. Hello Angkor lists airport-to-city departures at 7:30, 9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 17:30, 19:00, 20:00 and 22:00, and city-to-airport departures at 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00, 16:00, 17:30 and 19:00. Wikivoyage lists the same $8 per minibus seat and adds a private minivan transfer at $40. Taxis are fixed rate: Hello Angkor gives about $35 for a car with 1 to 3 passengers and $45 for a minivan with 1 to 5, available from 6:30 to 23:00. Angkor Photography Tours says a taxi typically runs $25-30 and one of its answers gives about $35, and puts a tuk-tuk at about $16 over 1.5 to 2 hours.

Neither source publishes a shuttle journey time, so plan on the road being slow rather than on a figure.

Which One to Pick

For two or three people with luggage, the fixed $35 car usually beats the shuttle on convenience, because the shuttle only drops at one street in town and you still need a ride to your hotel. For a solo traveller landing near a departure time, the $8 shuttle is the budget pick. For larger groups, the $45 minivan covers up to five people, and Wikivoyage lists a private minivan transfer at $40.

Angkor Photography Tours puts a tuk-tuk at about $16 and 1.5 to 2 hours, which is a long ride after a flight. A day of temple running by tuk-tuk in town costs about $15 to $30 depending on the temples, per Wikivoyage, and it books far more easily once you are settled. Remember that the ride into town is not part of any tour price.

The Angkor Wat 2-Day Tour at $34 per person starts with hotel pickup on day one at 4:00 to 4:20 AM, and you buy your own Angkor Pass on top.

Drive Times With Each Option

The table leaves the time column open for most rows because no source publishes a journey time for the shuttle or the taxi. The road itself takes 45 to 60 minutes in normal traffic, a figure both the Siem Reap Trip guide and Cleartrip give, and Wikivoyage notes transfers from SAI take much longer than from the old airport. The one timed exception is the tuk-tuk: Angkor Photography Tours puts the tuk-tuk ride at about 1.5 to 2 hours, far slower than a car because of the distance.

For the shuttle, plan around the road time and Hello Angkor's airport-to-city departures from 7:30 through 22:00.

SIM Cards and Wi-Fi

The terminal has free Wi-Fi, and lounges serve eligible business class passengers and Priority Pass holders, per Cleartrip's airport page. Siem Reap Trip lists Metfone, Smart and Cellcard SIM and eSIM kiosks in the arrivals hall, with data packages at $5.00 to $20.00 and registration that needs your passport. A pre-arrival eSIM avoids the queue entirely.

After you are connected, booking one of the Angkor Wat tours from Siem Reap from the taxi line takes minutes.

Ride Apps and the Shuttle Drop Point

Wikivoyage confirms Grab and PassApp operate in Siem Reap, and Siem Reap Trip says both give upfront prices in the app, an alternative to the fixed-rate taxi desk. The $8.00 shuttle's drop point is reported differently: Hello Angkor lists 7 Makara St, while the Siem Reap Trip guide says the shuttle runs about 10 departures a day to CDF Angkor Duty Free in the Wat Bo area, with an onward taxi or tuk-tuk to most hotels. Confirm the stop when you buy the ticket, then take a short ride from either point to your hotel.

Tourist Visa: On Arrival or E-Visa

The tourist visa on arrival costs US$30, is valid 30 days, and is paid in cash, according to Hello Angkor. Cambodia's visa policy page confirms US$30 for tourism and US$35 for business, both up to 30 days. Wikivoyage reports a conflict worth knowing: border staff often ask US$35-40 for the visa on arrival.

The e-visa is the alternative. Hello Angkor recommends it at evisa.gov.kh. Angkor Photography Tours says the e-visa carries an extra US$6 fee but skips the arrival visa line, and Wikivoyage lists the 30-day tourist e-visa at US$30 paid online by card. The FCDO says tourist visas are valid for 30 days from entry and advises applying for the e-visa at least 4 days ahead. A tourist visa extension in Phnom Penh costs US$30 and is allowed once, per Wikivoyage. Bring cash if you plan to use the visa on arrival desk.

The E-Arrival Card

Cambodia requires an e-arrival card for air arrivals at Phnom Penh, Siem Reap or Sihanoukville. The FCDO says it replaced the paper form from 1 September 2024, is free, and is submitted online at arrival.gov.kh within 7 days before arrival. Hello Angkor describes the same process.

It costs nothing, so ignore any site charging for it. Do it in the week before your flight, keep the confirmation on your phone.

From Immigration to the Temples

Landing day is not a temple day. Angkor Wat is 40 km from the airport, and the ticket checkpoint on the airport road allows only 1-day passes for entries from that side, per Wikivoyage. The practical order is transfer, hotel, then the pass.

The one-day Angkor Pass costs US$37 and is sold online by Angkor Enterprise. On the Private Angkor Temple Highlights Tour the tour is $31 per person, the US$37 ticket is paid onsite separately, and you pay $68 in total. For the pass itself, hours, and the official site angkorenterprise.gov.kh, see the Angkor Wat tickets page.