(KPL) The national flagship Lao Airlines is preparing to open two new international routes connecting Laos with Singapore and Guangzhou to meet an increasing demand of air transport by the end of this year.

The two international routes to be available three times per week are Vientiane-Singapore and Vientiane-Guangzhou, where passengers can continue their journeys to Europe and America, with Airbus 320 aircraft.

The Airlines said its opening of two more international routes was to facilitate the visit to Laos of foreign visitors and passengers.

In the first quarter of this year, the Lao Airlines has flown 288 flights increased by 8.22 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

Officials from Laos and Japan will conduct a feasibility study of direct flights between Nagoya Airport in Japan and Wattay International Airport in Vientiane.

The Director General of the Civil Aviation Department, Mr Yakua Lopangkao, told Vientiane Times yesterday that Lao officials will first collect basic information regarding potential passenger demand.

“We expect to collect the information within the next two months and then we will send it to Japan,” he said. “We will meet with Japanese officials a month later.”

Mr Yakua observed that more people are flying from America and Japan to Indochina, especially to Laos...more info>>

Mr Yakua said that last year Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh visited Japan and met with his Japanese counterpart to discuss various areas of cooperation. One of the issues discussed was the possibility of a direct flight from Nagoya to Vientiane.

Laos has direct flights to several countries, including Thailand, China, Cambodia and Vietnam. Air Asia started direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia , late last year.

A flight between Laos and Singapore is also under consideration, Mr Yakua said.

“Last month, we had meetings with representatives from airlines in Singapore who told us they needed a more detailed survey before any developments could take place,” he added.

A direct flight to Myanmar is also under discussion, as officials believe such a move could boost tourism in the region.

“Our government has an open policy concerning flight connections with any foreign country to encourage tourism in Laos ,” Mr Yakua said.

Earlier last year, the Lao government granted visa exemptions to Japanese tourists to strengthen relations between the two countries.

This has led to an increasing number of Japanese visitors to Laos.

According to the Lao National Tourism Administration, in 2005 around 23,000 Japanese visited Laos and in 2006 this figure increased by just two percent.

But in 2007 the figure jumped by 34 percent as a result of the visa exemption.

Tourism officials confirmed that the number of Japanese tourists was increasing, contributing to economic growth.

By Somsack Pongkhao
Vientiane Times

China Southern to launch Guangzhou-Vientiane flight

China Southern Airlines will launch direct flight service between Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, and Vientiane of Laos from November 6.

This will be the only flight linking Guangzhou and Laos.

With the flight dubbed CZ3057, Airbus A319 aircraft will take off from Guangzhou at 8:50 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday, and reach Vientiane at 10:20 a.m. The returning flight CZ3058 will take off at 11:20 a.m. from Vientiane and arrive in Guangzhou at 14:40.

China Southern is one of the top three airlines in China. The other two are Air China and China Eastern Airlines.

Xinhua

Direct flights from Malaysia to Laos will be delayed until November, to allow time for office construction in Laos before opening the service, according to Director General of the Lao Civil Aviation Department, Mr Yakua Lopangkao.

Air Asia planned the direct route from Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia , to Vientiane , to begin this July, however late preparations have put the service on hold.

Mr Yakua, said the service will provide low-cost flights between the two countries, due to the expectation that demand for the service will increase in the future...more

Opening direct flights between Malaysia and Laos is part of the bilateral agreement to improve the air transportation sectors of the two countries. The objective is to create more convenient links for tourists and business people travelling across the region.

The flights are also expected to be beneficial for trade, cargo transport, and investment between both countries.

At present most people flying between the two countries have to transit in Bangkok , before continuing their journey.

In 1996, Malaysia Airlines offered flights to Laos but ceased operations in 1998 due to the Asian financial crisis.

Mr Yakua said the airline hopes to provide regular flights from November, but schedules will depend on customer demand.

Currently, the Malaysian Airbus 320 is planned to fly three times a week-on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Mr Yakua said that in November China Southern Airlines will also open direct flights on a Boeing 737 aircraft from China to Laos . The Chinese airline will also offer flights three days per week.

At present there are five overseas airlines flying to Laos : Thai Airways International flies from Bangkok , Vietnam Airlines from Hanoi , and China Eastern flies from Kunming , all to Vientiane . Siem Reap Airways flies from Siem Reap to Pakxe, and Bangkok Airways flies from Bangkok to Pakxe.

Source: vientianetimes via laosmile

PUTRAJAYA: Direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane in Laos will resume from July after nearly a decade of hiatus. Budget carrier AirAsia will be operating between the two cities, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar announced yesterday.

This was agreed upon by both governments at the third joint commission meeting for bilateral co-operation here.

The decision to resume direct air links was made as part of steps to increase co-operation in tourism and to boost trade and investment, he said after the two-day meeting.

Syed Hamid led the Malaysian delegation, while Laos Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Thongloun Sisoulith led the Laos delegation.
Malaysia Airlines had mounted flights into Vientiane beginning in 1996 but ceased operations since 1998 due to the Asian financial crisis...more

Syed Hamid said resumption of direct flights was mutually beneficial as Laos was keen to have more Malaysians invest there.

Malaysia is the ninth largest investor there, with interests in hotels and hydropower facilities.

Trade with Laos is now worth US$58 million (RM197.7 million).

Both countries also discussed plans to exchange plots of land in Putrajaya and Vientiane for the building of their respective embassies and ambassadors’ residences.

Other areas of co-operation such as capacity-building to help develop Laos’ economy were discussed, including plans for the country to explore rubber planting.

Laos has also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to visit the country.

The next bilateral meeting will be held in Vientiane in 2009.

Source: The New Straits Times

The saying goes that if the hard-working Vietnamese sew the rice, Cambodia's creative types would plant it in pretty rows, while their relaxed Laotian neighbours watch it grow. And nowhere is this south-east Asian stereotype truer than in Laos.

From lazy trips down the Mekong to sipping green tea against the backdrop of crumbling post-French grandeur in Luang Prabang, this rural gem of a country offers you the chance to step back and unwind on an active holiday with a supremely laid-back twist... more

Cross the Mekong from Chiang Khong in northern Thailand to Huay Xai and you can get a two-week visa on arrival, or you can arrange a month's stay before you leave Thailand. It will be two days on the slow boat with an overnight stop before you reach Luang Prabang, but well worth the effort. What this journey lacks in comfort - more than you can imagine - it certainly makes up for in scenery. Moody grey-brown waters carry you relentlessly forward through Laos' green hills.

However, if you would rather reach Laos in more comfort, a flight from Bangkok is the easiest way. Thai Airways and Lao Airlines will get you to the capital Vientiane in little over an hour.

It is hard to imagine a town more perfect than Luang Prabang. The elegant simplicity of the Buddhist temples stand in stark contrast to their golden counterparts in Thailand or India, and the crumbling opulence of the French era leaves a stylish atmosphere you will struggle to find elsewhere in Asia. Foodies should head down to the river where there is a great BBQ joint. Be bold, for this is the place to try buffalo, chicken's feet and all manner of insect-related delicacies.

The breathtaking Kuang Si waterfalls are about 40 minutes drive south of town and you can get a lift with a tour guide. Threeland Travel are most helpful, or alternatively you can take a local tuk-tuk at break-neck speed down a dirt track road to this postcard from paradise.

After a surreal walk through a mini zoo, you will find perfect blue-green lagoons for swimming and several tiers of waterfalls to play with. If you fancy yourself as a Herbal Essences lady, then test your endurance under one of the falls - you will not last long.

From Luang Prabang let the adventure take you to Phonsavanh and the plain of jars. The clue is in the name here and you can expect hundreds and hundreds of huge stone jars of disputed origin. Some believe they were used as burial sites, others that they were used to store rice wine - something of a national obsession.

Having tried this potent spirit, you may not want to imagine a container this size full of it, particularly since your guide is likely to have offered up a swig at breakfast time. You should note that a tour guide is needed for this trip and you should not stray from marked paths as Uncle Sam bombed the area heavily during the Vietnam War leaving a disastrous amount of unexploded ordnance as his legacy. Stone Henge this is not, but it is well worth a look.

From Phonsavanh, whether your active holiday takes you south to the 4,000 islands of Si Phan Don or west to the limestone peaks of Vang Vieng, count on two things: the omnipresent Mekong and natural treasures untold.

For more information on visiting Laos see the official Laos tourism website and the travelbite country guide.

Amy Morris
Source: www.travelbite.co.uk

THE Tourism Ministry wants either Malaysia Airlines (MAS) or budget carrier, AirAsia, to operate Kuala Lumpur-Vientiane direct flights to woo more Laotian tourists to Malaysia.

In the absence of such flights to Kuala Lumpur, Laotian tourists had to transit either in Bangkok, Phnom Penh or Hanoi, which was time-consuming and costly, Deputy Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai said today.
“This inconvenience has led to many Laotians to skip Malaysia in their travel,” he said.
“Laos is the only Asean country without direct flight links from Kuala Lumpur. This has hampered Laotian tourist arrivals to Malaysia, more so this year being Visit Malaysia Year (VMY),” he told Malaysian journalists covering his two-day visit to Laos to promote VMY 2007.

Lim said the ministry would discuss with the Transport Ministry to order MAS or AirAsia to start KL-Vientiane and Vientiane-KL flights in the next six months.

Source: www.nst.com.my

Bangkok Airways has begun two new weekly direct flights from Bangkok to Champassak province in the past two weeks, hoping to deliver more tourists to the area.

Director General of the Civil Aviation Department, Mr Yakua Lopangkao, said that under the bilateral air service agreement between the Lao and Thai governments, Lao Airlines can fly to Thailand and Thai air services can fly into Laos . The agreement has been upgraded each year to ensure cooperation between the two countries in this sector meets market demand...more

Mr Yakua said the Lao government needed Bangkok Airways to provide direct flights from Bangkok to Champassak province right now because Lao Airlines cannot provide this service.

“We want to provide the convenience of these flights for entrepreneurs and tourists who want arrive in Champassak in good time,” Mr Yakua said.

He said that in the past, it took entrepreneurs or tourists about two days to get from Bangkok to Champassak province. The direct Bangkok Airways flight takes only a bit more than an hour.

The Bangkok Airways flights, from Bangkok to Champassak to Siem Reap, fly Tuesdays and Sundays.

He added that the flights are a good way to promote tourism in the province, a World Heritage site.

He added that although market demand may not be high to begin with, it should improve after six or seven months when passengers learn about the flights.

While the Lao government has opened the way for the new direct flights, Mr Yakua said the government had set a limit of 450 passengers per week. Lao Airlines must provide the service for any more passengers after they open this service.

A representative from Bangkok Airways said since the direct flights began on April 10, they have been about 30 percent booked, but advance bookings mean that about 45 percent of seats will be filled in the next month.

Bangkok Airways has run direct flights from Bangkok to Luang Prabang for four years.

Four foreign air services fly direct flights into Laos currently, in addition to the Bangkok Airways flights.

Thai Airways flies from Bangkok to Vientiane , Vietnam Airlines flies Hanoi to Vientiane , China Eastern flies Kunming to Vientiane , and Siem Reap Airways flies Pakxe to Siem Reap.

Mr Yakua said many airways serving Laos provided better choices for passengers. It is government policy to open the door for service and trade, he added.

By Soudalath Phonpachith
vientianetimes

Lao Airlines celebrated their International Arch of Europe Award on 22nd February 2007, at the Don Chan Palace hotel.

The 33rd International Arch of Europe Convention for Excellence and Business Prestige is part of the annual program of Business Initiative Directions (BID) Awards, designed to recognize the prestige of outstanding companies, organizations, and businessmen in the business world.

This year, in Frankfurt, during the International Arch of Europe Convention on February 18th and 19th, 2007, the Awards were handed out at a ceremony in the Inter·Continental Hotel.