Commercial flights in and out of Phnom Penh International Airport were halted for five-and-a-half  hours yesterday, according to an announcement on the airport’s website.

Head of communications Norinda Khek said the delays, which took place from 4:00 in the afternoon to 9:30 at night, were necessary because of certain “VIP flights”, likely referring to delegates from the ASEAN Summit, which wrapped up yesterday.

Khek was adamant that the airport had never closed and that personnel have known about the change in schedule for a week.

“And the airport has prepared this situation, so people won’t be stranded, they will be taken care of,” Khek said.

In the same announcement on the website, passengers were advised to contact their airlines and travel agencies.

If added to the closure of gas stations and the blockage of major roads, the flight stoppage can be seen as the latest example of Cambodian officials sealing the city off while the summit was taking place.

A spokesman for Thai airlines declined to comment on the flight stoppages yesterday, and several airlines contacted by the Post to see how the decision affected customers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to a timetable of flights on the airport’s website, a small number were cancelled, while the majority of impacted departures and arrivals were delayed for an unknown period.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anne Renzenbrink at [email protected]

Joe Freeman at [email protected]