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Lao Central Airlines ready for take-off
Lao Central Airlines Public Company (LCA) will to take to the skies next month, making its inaugural flight once its second aircraft has arrived in Vientiane.
“Our second plane will arrive on December 2, from Belgium,” LCA Senior Advisor Mr Thongsay Inthisane said in an interview last Friday.
The company will commence initial operations with two 150-seater Boeing 737-400s, which were purchased recently.
“The first aircraft arrived in Vientiane last month and is now at Wattay International Airport,” Mr Thongsay said.
LCA had initially hoped to make its inaugural flight in September. But that flight was delayed because the company was awaiting the arrival of two pilots from India.
“We have to have two planes before we can start flights, as required by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport,” he said. “Currently all of our staff and operations are ready to go into action.”
LCA initially expects to operate flights to Thailand, and then to Vietnam, China and Cambodia. After that, all of the Asean countries are possibilities.
The company expects to take delivery of nine Russian jets by the end of next year. LCA will be the first privately owned company in Laos to operate medium sized jets catering to the domestic market.
LCA, formerly known as Phongsavanh Airlines Public Company, uses international auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to help with their financial modeling and the development of their business plan.
The airline changed its name to something they felt was more recognisable both locally and abroad. The new name will ensure that people know the airline is Lao and operates out of Laos.
LCA hopes to expand rapidly in what is a growing aviation market, hoping to establish itself in the regional market first, and then expand internationally.
Laos' national carrier, Lao Airlines, also received its first jet aircraft, the 142-seat Airbus 320, earlier this month, two months after signing a purchase agreement for two of the aircraft with Airbus.
The new jet replaces the 70-seat ATR on a number of international routes including the Vientiane-Bangkok, Vientiane-Kunming and Vientiane-Hanoi sectors, and will fly on the new Vientiane-Singapore flight.
According to Lao Airlines, the second Airbus 320 from France will arrive at Wattay International Airport on December 3 and go into service on December 5.
Lao Airlines plans to buy two more ARJ21-700 jet aircraft from China to be delivered at the end of 2012.
vientiane times
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