It is located near Pratlang village, roughly 60 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh.

Plans to construct the airport began in 1975, organized by the Khmer Rouge with considerable assistance from Chinese advisors.

Construction began in early 1976 with forced labor, similar to other infrastructure projects initiated by the Khmer Rouge.

Workers died in significant numbers due to malnutrition, exposure, disease, and execution, and were buried in mass graves at the site.

It is unknown how many died in total during the construction, however, local villagers have stated that the stench of decomposing corpses remained for years after the site was abandoned.