Lucky Air to resume flights to Laos

At least seven foreign airlines have opened flights to Laos to accommodate the growing regional tourism trade, which has made a significant recovery after Laos opened its doors to international visitors last year, a Lao Airlines operations manager has said. 

More foreign airlines will resume flights to Laos.                                                                 –Photo Phoonsab Thevongsa

Lucky Air, a low-cost airline based in Kunming, China, recently announced that it will resume scheduled flights to Laos next month, Kucinta-air reports.
Lucky Air will restart flights to Vientiane on March 13 while flights to Luang Prabang will be scheduled from March 19.
The Lucky Air flight will depart from Kunming for Vientiane at 8am on March 13, and touch down in Vientiane at 8.40am before leaving for Kunming at 9.40am and landing in Kunming at 12:15 pm, according to the report.
Another Lucky Air flight will leave Kunming for Luang Prabang at 8am on March 19, and arrive in Luang Prabang at 8.30am before taking off for Kunming at 9.30am and touching down in Kunming at 11.55am.
 Lucky Air will operate flights to Vientiane on Mondays and Fridays and to Luang Prabang on Wednesdays and Sundays, mainly to accommodate the expected influx of Chinese visitors.
Further boosting regional air travel, Jeju Air Co., the Republic of Korea’s biggest low-cost carrier, announced that it will resume flights to Laos and Vietnam in April after three years of suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The budget carrier plans to commence services on routes from Incheon to Vientiane, and to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam on April 20, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Director of Lao Airlines’ Commercial Department, Mr Noudeng Chanthaphasouk, told the Vientiane Times on Wednesday that the aviation industry is rebounding thanks to increasing passenger demand.
“At the moment, at least seven airlines from Thailand, Vietnam, China  and Singapore have resumed flights to Laos, mainly to Vientiane and Luang Prabang,” Mr Noudeng said.
In addition, direct flights operated by several low-cost airlines in Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia will be taking to the skies in the first half of this year.
In the meantime, Lao Airlines will launch flights from Pakxe in Champassak province to major cities in China, including Guangzhou, in a bid to attract yet more visitors to Laos.
Mr Noudeng said Lao Airlines plans to operate flights from Vientiane to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Changzhou and Hangzhou to increase links between Laos and China and spur the growth of tourism.
Lao Airlines has also scheduled flights to South Korea in response to the growth of regional tourism. 
In further flight offerings, Lao Airlines plans to increase the number of flights from Luang Prabang and Champassak to China.
The national flag carrier currently operates three flights a week from Vientiane to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province.

By Somsack Pongkhao
 (Latest Update February 23, 2023)