Lao Airlines suspends charter flights
 
Lao Airlines is suspending all charter flights to and from other countries to reduce the risk of a second wave of Covid-19 triggered by inbound travellers.
According to Lao Airlines, the last charter flight on the Laos-South Korea route left on Sunday, while the latest humanitarian flight bringing back Lao workers from overseas took place on December 13.

Anyone entering Laos on a humanitarian flight must have all the necessary documents and spend 14 days at a designated quarantine centre.
“We are suspending all charter flights based on an order from the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control,” the Director of Lao Airlines’ Commercial Department, Mr Noudeng Chanthaphasouk, said. “Based on this order, all charter flights will be suspended until January 23.”
The only international route currently in service is a twice-weekly flight from Vientiane to Kunming in China.
“We can’t be exactly certain how long charter flights will be suspended because we’re waiting to hear about possible new virus prevention measures laid down by the government. The planes used on the Vientiane-Kunming route are thoroughly cleaned after passengers disembark to ensure the safety of both passengers and crews,” Mr Noudeng said.
The total number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Laos remains at just 41. Forty of these people have recovered while one remains under observation in the hospital, according to the Ministry of Health’s Centre of Education and Education for Health on December 28.
The centre stated  that more than 81.1 million people worldwide have contracted Covid-19 and nearly 1.78 million people have died.

By Souksamai Boulom
(Latest Update December 29, 2020)