Pakse Airport back in business

Lao Airlines confirms it will resume a daily flight, Vientiane ? Siem Reap (Cambodia) via Pakse Airport, 1 November, after the authorities gave the green light to reopen Pakse Airport.

The town is located on the banks of the Mekong River in the southernmost province of Champasak, Laos, and is emerging as a tourist destination for eco-tourism and trips to nearby national parks close to the Cambodian border.

The airline will use its 70-seat ATR72 aircraft on the route making a stop at Pakse Airport, which has been closed for improvements since March 2008.

Local newspapers reported the airport upgrade cost over 58 billion kip. Work was completed by Italian-Thai Construction Company and according to the specifications the airport can now handle small to medium-size regional jets such as the Boing-737 and Airbus-A320s.

Besides the Vientiane ? Pakse ? Siem Reap service, Lao Airlines will also operate a three weekly service on the Luang Prabang ? Pakse ? Siem Reap, route, every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, using a 56-seat MA-6 aircraft.

However, the airline?s Pakse ? Bangkok service will now include a stop in Savannakhet, a town in central Laos that stands on the banks of the Mekong River, directly opposite the Thai border town of Mukdahan.

Meanwhile, the airline announced, it will resume its three-weekly service, Vientiane-Pakse- Ho chi Minh City, which will be effective from 26 January 2010.

Sourced = The TTR Weekly