Lao Aviation (Lao Airlines)

Member Name: Robert48

Product:	Lao Airlines
Date:	04/07/01 (828 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Speed

Disadvantages: Safety is Doubtful

Lao Aviation is the Government Airline. A few years ago a shareholding was sold to a Chinese Company the name of which I cannot remember. The Lao Government made an error here in that if they had got someone like Singapore Airlines to invest in them they would have got a lot more out of it. The fleet is a varied one. For the main International flights they use modern Boeing 737s and have now got some western ATR 42 and 72 aircraft.

The internal fleet is a mixture of Russian Antonov 24s. Chinese copies of these, Harbin Y7s or the small twin engined Harbin Y12. Add to this the odd ex military Mil 8 helicopter and you have quite a fleet.

The main aiports in Vientianne and Luang Prabang have been rebuilt and are a vast improvement from my first vist. Luang Prabang had a wooden hut for a terminal building!

It can still be rather disconcerting taxying out past the cannabilised version of the plane you are in but at least the main airports have fire engines etc.

Timetables, except on international flights are to be used as a guide. I have had a 5 hour delay out of Ban Houei Xai which has a very basic terminal to say the least.

Staff are friendly and will help as much as they can. Fares for Westerners are high as they need the dollars. At one point they had a virtual monopoly on transport due to the poor state of the roads but as these improve ie. between Vientianne and Liang Prabang this will end.

I have flown in aircraft with broken seats and seat belts, where fitted, that didn't work but having said that I am still here.

The main thing to check with this airline as the Lao economy struggles is has it paid it's bills. If so it will have the western aircraft on charter and spares will have been bought if not safety could be compromised. The best way to check is to ask the US or Australian Embassy if they allow their staff to user the airline. The last time I was in Laos U.N. staff were not allowed to fl
y Air Lao.

I like the airline but there again I am an optimist that reckons a pilot will not fly something he / she knows is unsafe. Having flown in and out of small strips in Laos I can assure you the pilots are GOOD.

Summary: