Lao Airlines will open flights to Danang, Vietnam on March 30. – VT
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Lao Airlines has confirmed it will resume flights from Vientiane to Vietnam’s coastal city of Danang on March 30, according to a post on the airline’s Facebook page last week.
The twice-weekly flight on Thursdays and Saturdays is designed to meet the needs of the growing number of tourists in the region following the lifting of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Director of Lao Airlines’ Commercial Department, Noudeng Chanthaphasouk, told the Vientiane Times on Friday (March 3) that the Vientiane-Danang flight was popular with many tourists before the pandemic.
According to TTR Weekly, Lao Airlines previously served the Danang route with a stopover in Pakxe, using an ATR72-600 aircraft. The airline dropped the Pakxe stop and began direct flights just weeks before the two-year pandemic grounded all international flights.
Now the airline will resume the flight using a 180-seat A320 for the one-hour 15-minute journey.
Danang is renowned for its beach resorts where tourists from Japan, China and South Korea like to take holidays. These travellers will now easily be able to extend their itineraries by taking advantage of the short hop to Laos to experience its natural beauty and world heritage sites.
In addition, many Lao nationals and some Thais, especially those living in Isan (the northeast region of Thailand), will be tempted to use this route when living in or visiting Vientiane.
“The Vientiane-Danang route is an important air link for Lao tourism. It is intended not only to revitalise tourism in Laos, but also to boost Laos’ connectivity with the rest of the region and rejuvenate the economy,” Noudeng said.
A round trip ticket is currently priced at 4.81 million kip. A check of the airline’s website on Thursday suggested that demand for this flight is high.
Lao Airlines has also resumed flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City since the Lao government reopened the country’s doors to international travel in May last year.
In addition, the national flag carrier has rescheduled flights to Thailand and Cambodia and now operates regular services to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Siem Reap.
Noudeng also 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.
Several foreign budget airlines also plan to resume flights to Laos in response to the resurgence of international tourism.
Lucky Air, a low-cost airline based in Kunming, China, will restart flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang this month, while Jeju Air Co. - the Republic of Korea’s biggest low-cost carrier - will resume flights from Incheon to Vientiane in April.
