An ATR Aircraft at Nong Khang airport, (Photo: laotiantimes.com) Vientiane (VNA) – The number of Lao andforeign tourists flocking to the far-north province of Houaphanh, Laos, has increased significantly after Nong Khang airport came into operation last month.
According to Phouvan Phetmixay, provincial DeputyDirector of the Department of Information, Culture and Tourism, the hike in thenumber of tourists to the locality is due to more convenient travel.
Previously, to get to the province, visitors had to gothrough a road trip on winding and dangerous mountain roads but the new airporthas eased the problem, he noted.
Lao Airlines' commercial director NoudengChanthaphasouk said the airline is operating four flights a week betweenVientiane and Houaphanh on a trial basis and all flights are full so far.
Besides, from June 6, the Lao Skyway also put intooperation a pilot route between Vientiane and Houanphanh with a frequency oftwo flights per week.
Located in the northernmost part of Laos, Houaphanhprovince is more than 600 km from Vientiane. Previously, it tookabout two days to get from the capital to the province, but now it only takes onehour by air.
Nong Khang airport is part of the Lao Government’s infrastructuredevelopment strategy aimed at transforming Laos from a landlocked to aregionally connected nation. The Build-Transfer (BT) project has a totalinvestment of 82 million USD, financed through a loan from Vietnam’s Hoang AnhGia Lai Agriculture JSC. The airport is built according to the 3C standards ofthe International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), capable of serving100,000 passengers per year and accommodating aircraft with 70-100 seats.
Located in an important economic-trade gateway between Laosand Vietnam, the airport also contributes significantly to the development ofcross-border export-import activities between the two countries. It not onlypromotes tourism and economic growth of Houaphanh but also symbolises theenduring friendship and sustainable cooperation between the two neighboringcountries./.
