Lao Airlines, the national carrier of Laos, has announced it will launch thrice-weekly flights between Vientiane and Singapore on November 24 using the two recently acquired Airbus A320 aircraft.
The new flight will depart the Laotian capital on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1505, arriving in Singapore at 1830, and the return leg will depart Singapore at 1940, arriving back in Vientiane at 2105. The aircraft used on the route will be configured with 16 business class seats and 126 economy class seats.
The carrier also plans to launch flights to Guangzhou and Seoul with the new aircraft while increasing its brand awareness across the region in collaboration with the Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA).
Dr Somphone Douantdara, president of the carrier, said: “Lao Airlines is on the threshold of a new and exciting growth trajectory, one that is in tune with the upswing in tourism to Laos.”
According to the LNTA, the total number of tourist arrivals in 1999 reached 2,008,363, 1,820,571 of which were came from the Asia-Pacific region. This number is expected to rise to 3,625,647 by 2020.
Robust growth, not just in Laos but the rest of Indochina, has been partly facilitated by better connections between countries in the region. While this Lao Airlines flight shows a promising future for the area's air travel industry, upcoming infrastructure projects will eventually make travelling around the Mekong area by road much easier. Click here for Business Traveller Asia-Pacific September 2011 story "Hit the road".
For more information on the new flight, visit www.laoairlines.com
Alisha Haridasani
