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2.2 Laos Aviation

 National Airports/AirfieldsOther Airports/AirfieldsProcedures for Foreign Registered AircraftService Providers

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The Department of Civil Aviation of Lao PDR is the civil aviation authority of Laos. The agency, a division of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT), has its headquarters on the property of the Wattay International Airport in Sikhodtabong District, Vientiane.

The Department of Civil Aviation is responsible for policy and planning in civil aviation and for regulatory oversight of technical and safety matters pertaining to aviation and the Lao Airports Authority (LAA). The department has eight divisions in addition to the Lao Airports Authority, which is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Wattay international and domestic airport terminals (Vientiane), two regional airports (Luangprabang and Pakse), and two provincial airports (Louang Namtha and Savannakhet). All other provincial small airports are the responsibility of the provincial governments with the department’s technical consultation.

Laos has 14 airport fields and 39 smaller airstrips, however not all are operational at the moment. The main airport is Wattay International Airport located in Vientiane Capital. The other minor ones but also important are in Luanprabang, Pakse, Savannakhet, Oudomxay and Luang Namtha. There are limited operations in Attapue, Saravan, Samnue, and Sayaboury.

Vientiane is the main international gateway, while Louangphrabang and Pakxe accept regional traffic and provide customs, immigration, and quarantine services. Another significant provincial airport is Savannakhet. The two regional airports at Luangprabang and Pakxe and the Wattay Airport at Vientiane cover international traffic and associated services.

Several international airlines such as Air Asia, Bangkok Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Lao Airlines, Thai Airways, and Vietnam Airlines provide international services. Direct connections are also available to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Ha Noi from Louangphrabang, and to Bangkok and Siem Reap from Pakxe. Scheduled domestic services are operated on main routes by Lao Airlines with regular daily services, and additional flights are made in the rainy season to selected locations.

The state-owned airline, Lao Air, flies 10-seat Cessna aircrafts on a regular basis to three remote provinces—Houaphan, Phongsali, and Xayabury. Domestic and international services are provided primarily for tourist traffic.

Key airport information may also be found at: http://worldaerodata.com/countries/Laos.php

 National Airports/Airfields

# Location Airport Name ICAO IATA Customs Runway IFR Runway (M)

1 Vientiane Wattay International VLVT VTE Yes Paved Yes 3,000 x 45

2 Luang Prabang Luang Prabang International VLLB LPQ Yes Paved No 2,200 x 45

3 Savannakhet Savannakhet VLSK ZVK No Paved No 1,633 x 38

4 Pakse Pakse International VLPS PKZ Yes Paved Yes 2,400 x 45

5 Luang Namtha Luang Namtha VLLN LXG Yes Paved No 1,600 x 30

6 Oudomxai Oudomxai VLOS ODY No Paved No 1,600 x 30

7 Ban Hat Tai Ban Huoeisay/ ban Houay Xay VLHS OUI No Paved No 1,500 x 23

8 Xam Neua Sam Neua VLSN NEU No Paved No 1,000 x 18

9 Xiangnabouli Xiangnabouli VLSB ZBY No Unpaved No 1,000 x 18

10 Xieng Khouang Xieng Khouang VLXK XKH No Paved No 2,600 x 40

11 Attapeu Attopeu VLAP AOU No Unpaved No 1,850 x 30

12 Saravane Saravane VLSV VNA No Paved No 1,060

13 Khong Island Khong Island VLKG KOG No Unpaved No N/A

14 Thakhek Thakhek VLTK THK No Unpaved No 1,400

Other Airports/Airfields

Location Airport Name IATA

Houeisay Houeisay HOE

Muong Sai Muong Sai UON

Paksane Paksane PKS

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a. b. c. d.

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Phongsaly Bounneua PCQ

Seno Seno SND

Vangrieng Vangrieng VGG

Viengxay Viengxay VNG

Xienglom Xienglom XIE

Procedures for Foreign Registered AircraftRegistration of Aircrafts in Lao PDR is governed by the The Law on Civil Aviation Lao PDR - Presidential Decree No. 43/PO. The process is handled byMinistry of Public Works and Transport (Department of Civil Aviation) and involves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   

Any aircraft that intends to fly within the airspace of the Lao PDR shall be registered and shall have nationality and registration marks in accordance withthe laws of the Lao PDR or of the concerned State.

Aircraft registration in the Lao PDR must be carried out in accordance with the following conditions:

The individual registering the aircraft shall be its owner or another individual who has the right to operate such aircraft. This could be, but is notlimited to, the following:

The government of the Lao PDR;A Lao citizen;An alien, foreign individual or apatrid who has a principal place of business or permanent residence in the Lao PDR;An enterprise, company or association established in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Lao PDR.

Aircraft registered in the Lao PDR shall not be eligible to be registered in another State; likewise, aircraft registered in another State shall not beeligible for registration in the Lao PDR, unless the former registration is cancelled.

When a person or organisation has duly registered its own civil aircraft in the Lao PDR, the rights in such aircraft shall be recognised in accordance withthe relevant international conventions to which the Lao PDR is a party. 

Air traffic services (i.e. the provision of facilitation and control of air traffic, including for overflights over the territory of the Lao PDR) shall be conductedunder common regulations throughout the entire country, consistent with regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation for ensuring the safe,speedy, and orderly flow of air traffic.

Flight Clearance and Aircraft Entry Requirements

All private and nonscheduled commercial aircraft overflying or landing for commercial or noncommercial purposes must request clearance at least 15 daysprior to departure.

All requests must include: Type of aircraft and registration marks; Radio call and frequency; Name and nationality of pilot and crew members; Completeroute of flight; Dates, times of entry and exit from airspace of Laos; Dates and times of arrival and departure, if landing; Flight altitudes; Reason for flight;Number and nationality of passengers and type and amount of cargo; Name and address of aircraft operator and owner; and type and amount of fuelrequired.

Request to be submitted to: Department of Civil Aviation, 2 Pangkham Street, P.O. Box 119

Vientiane, Laos. Fax: (856) 21-512216, AFTN: VLAOYAYX

Source: Aeronautical information (AIP, Laos)

Service ProvidersInternational Flights

#  Airline IATA Code

Routes

1 Thai Airways TG Vientiane -Bangkok

2 Bangkok Airways PG Vientiane - Bangkok

Luang Prabang - Bangkok

3 Air Asia I5 Vientiane - Kuala Lumpur

4 Vietnam Airlines VN Vientiane – Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City/Phnom Penh/Vinh

5 China Eastern Airlines

MU Vientiane – Kunming/Nanning

6 Cambodia Angkor Air

K6 Vientiane – Hanoi, Phnom Penh

7 Jin Air LJ Vientiane – Seoul-Incheon

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8 Korean Air KE Vientiane – Seoul-Incheon

9 Silk Air MI Vientiane – Singapore (resumes 31 Oct 2016)

10 Sky Wings Asia Airlines

ZA Siem Reap

11 T’way Airlines TW Charter: Seoul-Incheon

12 Thai AirAsia FD Bangkok-Don Mueang (begins July 2016)

13 Lao Airlines QV Vientiane – Bangkok, Hanoi/Siem Reap,  Kunming, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Guangzhou, Phnom Penh (suspended), Seoul-Incheon, Siem Reap, Singapore

Luang Prabang – Chiang Mai,  Hanoi, Bangkok, Siem Reap, Udon Thani

Pakse – Siem Reap, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City

Savannakhet – Bangkok

Charter: Busan

Domestic Flights

#  Airline IATA code Routes

1 Laos Airlines QV Vientiane, LuangPrabang, Pakse, Oudomxai, Xieng Khouang, Houeysay, LuangNamtha, Savannakhet

Luang Prabang – Pakse

Pakse – Savannakhet

2 Lao Skyway LK Sam Neua, Sayaboury

Fuel Services

The Lao State Fuel Company (LSFC) has jet fuel depots located in 4 airports namely: Wattay International Airport, Savannakhet Airport, Pakse International Airport, and Luang Prabang International Airport. LSFC handles refueling of aircrafts through use of fuel trucks refueling at the apron. Other suppliers of aviation fuel include PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil) and its subsidiary Societe Shell du Laos.

 

Details of other conditions and requirements can be found in the following document: Law on Civil Aviation Lao PDR    

For information on Laos Airport contact details, please see the following link: 

4.4 Laos Airport Company Contact List

For Laos Airport additional details, please see the following document: 

Laos Airport Additional Details

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the newLCA and is therefore provided separately.