Lao Airlines to expand service networks on domestic, international routes

Published on : Thursday, January 2, 2014

The state-run Lao Airlines will buy two moreATR72-600 airplanes in 2014 to expand its service networks on both domestic and international routes, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
According to Vice Chairman of the carrier Sengpraseuth Mathouchanh, the first aircraft will arrive in Vientiane in May and the second in November this year.
Lao Airlines, which boasts its modern fleet with four 158-seat Airbus 320, is operating flights to some destinations in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, the South Korea and Singapore.
The airline plans to open services from Vientiane to Yangon in Myanmar and Malaysia in the near future, he said.
It has signed agreements with over a dozen of major foreign airlines, namely Vietnam Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Thai Airways, Qantas Airlines SilkAir, Korean Airlines, Eva Airways and Aeroflot.
At present, Lao Airlines has more than 70 booking agents in Vientiane and
other provinces nationwide together with over 400 others in foreign countries.
With efficient and reasonable business strategies, the number of passengers using the airline’s services increased from 275,000 in 2006 to over 600,000 in 2012, and an estimated one million by 2013.