Laos, Macao sign bilateral air services agreement: report
Laos, Macao sign bilateral air services agreement: report
Laos and the Macao Special Administrative Region of China signed a bilateral Air Services Agreement on Tuesday in Macao that establishes open skies for air transport between both sides, the China-based Global Times website reported on June 25.
A high profile Lao delegation from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is paying a working visit to Macao, an official from the ministry's Department of Civil Aviation told the Vientiane Times yesterday.
Under the agreement both parties can designate more than one airline to operate the routes, according to the Global Times, which is published under the auspices of the People's Daily newspaper.
Officials in charge could not be reached for answers on how many other countries Laos has entered into similar agreements with.
Prior to the signing of the agreement, both sides held talks to exchange updates on the economic development of Macao and Laos, especially on their air transport markets.
Lao s has seen a marked increase in the number of air passenger arrivals in recent years. This has been underpinned by a surge in economic growth and overall tourist arrivals.
In 2010 the national carrier, Lao Airlines, flew about 500,000 passengers, but this figure jumped to around 900,000 in 2012 and is expected to exceed 1 million this year, according to the airline.
Lao Airlines operates flights to Asean nations including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
The airline has also begun regular flights to Seoul in a bid to attract more tourists from the Republic of Korea. China is another thriving market and Lao Airlines flies from Vientiane to Kunming and Guangzhou, and from Luang Prabang to Xieng Houng.
In October this year, Lao Airlines will begin direct flights to Myanmar as part of provisions for increased air connectivity within the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy countries.
Officials said recently that Lao Airlines is also considering starting flights to Phnom Penh in Cambodia later this year in another move aimed at business growth amid surging air travel in the region.
“We are giving special attention to the possibility of operating flights to Phnom Penh,” an airline official said.
The steady increase in tourist arrivals in recent years is one of the major drivers of the growth in air transport.
Between 1990 and 2012 Laos registered a growth rate in foreign tourist arrivals of 20.36 percent per year on average. In 2012, Laos welcomed more than 3.3 million foreign tourists, equal to half of the country's total population, who generated income of more than US$513 million.
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism forecasts that tourist arrivals will rise further to more than 3.4 million people this year and to mor e than 3.7 million by 2015.
vientiane times
