VIENTIANE, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lao Airlines, the country's national flag carrier, plans to operate direct flights next March from Vientiane capital and northern Laos' Luang Prabang to Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu of Japan, after getting the green light from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.
Lao capital Vientiane-Kumamoto sector will serve passengers on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while flights between Luang Prabang, some 220 km north of the capital Vientiane, and Kumamoto will be scheduled on Mondays and Fridays, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Monday.
A 142-seat Airbus A320 will be used on both sectors, the report quoted Lao Airlines' marketing staff. The company official said the new routes will be officially announced by Lao Airlines later this month.
Lao Airlines is hopeful that the two new flights will help make Laos a travel hub on the Indochina Peninsula.
The city of Kumamoto was chosen as the destination because Lao Airlines was able to acquire takeoff and landing slots that were convenient to connect other airports in Japan. The flights will be an added incentive for Japanese tourists to visit Laos and also have the potential to spur trade and investment, said the report.
While the number of Japanese visitors fluctuates in 2015, the figure was estimated at 43,800 people and rose to about 49,200 in 2016. In 2017, the number of Japanese visitors dropped to 32,000 but rose to almost 39,000 in 2018, according to the Tourism Development Department, Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
