New ATRs from Lao Air

State-run Lao Airlines will buy two more ATR72-600 aircraft this year to expand both domestic and international routes.

According to the airline vice chairman, Sengpraseuth Mathouchanh, the first aircraft will arrive in Vientiane in May and the second in November this year.

The airline also plans to open services from Vientiane to Yangon in Myanmar and Malaysia once the new aircraft are delivered.

In 2015, Lao Airlines plans to buy two more Airbus 321s.

Mid-last year the airline lost an ATR72 in a fatal accident at Pakse airport a loss that forced the airline to postpone expansion plans.

The carrier is operating services to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, China, and South Korea with the 158-seat Airbus A320.

Established in 1976, the national carrier’s fleet currently comprises of 14 aircraft; four A320s, four ATR72-500s, two ATR72-600s and four MA60s.

The number of passengers increased from 275,000 in 2006 to over 600,000 in 2012 and an estimated 1 million in 2013.

Lao Airlines has code share arrangements with Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines, and interline agreements with 20 airlines including China Airlines, China Eastern, Korean Air, EVA Air, Silk Air, Qantas, Hahn Air and Bangkok Airways.

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Airlines relocate counters at Hanoi Airport

Due to expansion at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport airlines have moved check-in counters in the departure halls.

According to a local news report, VietJetAir said its domestic check-in counters have been relocated to the second floor, hall E, terminal T1 since 30 December. All domestic passengers will check in for departure at counters numbered 101 to 118.

The airline then advised passengers to arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to the departure hall to ensure they have time to locate the new check-in zone, which is situated 150 metres from the old check-in zone.

Up to 15 January, passengers who miss their flights due to the relocation will be allowed to board the next available flights without surcharges, the private airline said.

In addition, Vietnam Airlines said its check-in counters for flights departing  to Vinh, Dong Hoi, Chu Lai, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Da Lat, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, Can Tho, anh Phu Quoc have been relocated from the first floor of hall B to the second floor of hall E.

Low-cost airline Jetstar Pacific said all of its check-in counters were relocated to the second floor of hall E.

The newly opened hall E connects to hall A within Terminal T1 through a passageway.

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Automated Check-in by Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines is offering automated check-in kiosks at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi.

Launched 1 December, the kiosks are located on the second floor of the airport’s T1 terminal and should help passengers reduce check-in time by about two minutes.

It will also take some of the pressure off the manual check-in counters where there are long queues during peak hours.

Based on use, the national flag carrier will consider expanding the system to other airports. The learning curve for passengers needs to be addressed and the airline has staff at kiosks to help.

Usually, elderly passengers and those with families prefer manual check-in, but the kiosks are popular with individual business travelers who are familiar with the system and appreciate the time saved queuing.

Vietnam Airlines is headquartered in Long Bien District, Hanoi, with hubs at Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The airline flies to 52 destinations in 17 countries, excluding code shared services.

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Myanmar Agrees On Commercial Flights

Myanmar has updated its aviation agreements with South Korea and Bangladesh to open the way for commercial flights.

The respective civil aviation departments of Myanmar, South Korea and Bangladesh amended aviation contracts and updated clauses that were outdated. Most of Myanmar’s aviation agreements date back to the close of World War II and in many instances were not updated.

The country Civil Aviation Department general director, Tin Naing Tun, was quoted by local media as saying: “We had to cancel clauses that were not suitable in the present situation.”

In the new agreements airlines of Bangladesh and South Korea can apply for traffic rights at multiple destinations rather than just Yangon.

Myanmar International Airway and Air Bagan both have secured rights to fly to Bangladesh last year.

Due to the changes in the aviation contract with Korea, KAL and Asiana Airlines can now fly to cities in Myanmar.

Myanmar has aviation agreements with 46 countries and the ones with Europe and, United States were the most liberal dating back to air transport agreements signed in 1949. They basically gave airlines from the US and UK freedom to fly as many services as they liked. The option was never taken up as the country closed and sanctions were introduced to prevent airlines serving the country.

As a member of ASEAN, the country will have to adopt an “Open Skies Policy” in 2015, which will allow ASEAN registered airlines greater access to Myanmar’s skies – and ultimately allow them to serve domestic routes. The policy will be limited to international services to major cities designated by each country leaving the domestic options to much later.

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New Routes in Vietnam by Jetstar

Jetstar Pacific airline will open two new domestic air routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang and Phu Quoc starting 15 December.

According to the airline, the new domestic routes will meet growing travel demand between the destinations.

An Airbus A320 will fly the route from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang and Phu Quoc daily.

Jetstar Pacific will purchase an additional two Airbus A320s in early December this year and late January 2014 to cope with increasing numbers of passengers.

The Jetstar Group operates up to 3,000 flights a week to around 64 destinations and carried more than 23 million people in 2013 fiscal year.

Jetstar Group is made up of Jetstar Airways in Australia and New Zealand (subsidiary of the Qantas Group), Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Pacific in Vietnam, Jetstar Japan in Japan and from 2013  Jetstar Hong Kong.

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Positive number of Myanmar Tourism

Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism reports tourist arrivals increased 83% since October 2010.

According to the announcement, there were about 800,000 tourist arrivals in 2010 and more than 1.5 million tourists by October this year. The count covered tourist arrivals at Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Nay Pyi Taw and overland border checkpoints.

The country could reach 1.9 million this year, or even touch the 2 million mark, although Yangon has been beset by security scares after two bomb blasts in the capital last month.

The ministry’s director, Hlaing Oo, explained the dramatic increase in tourist arrivals to local press, earlier this week, adding that the way forward was promising.

More airlines are due to fly to tourist destination in the country and more overland checkpoints will be upgraded to allow international visitors to enter the country, he reported.

Last August, Myanmar opened four entry and exit gates on the Myanmar-Thai border, namely Tachileik- Maesai, Myawaddy-Maesot, Tiki-Sunarong and Kawthoung-Ranong.

The country is planning to upgrade the Muse border point with China’s Ruili district as an international checkpoint to boost travel from China.

Thailand is Myanmar’s leading travel supplier, followed by Japan, China, South Korea, and Malaysia. Most tourists visiting from Europe come from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Thais travel to Myanmar for both business and leisure. Buddhist pilgrimage visits are popular, but business related visits are also very high as Thailand is a leading investor along with China, Japan and South Korea.

The Ministry of Hotels and Tourism forecasts 2 million tourists will visit Myanmar this year.

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Jet Asia Airways' Expansion in Asian

Thai Airline Jet Asia Airways plans to roll out fully scheduled flights by next year.

The Bangkok-based carrier is increasingly moving away from a traditional model reliant on charter flights towards scheduled services, according to Pablo Saba, development manager of Jet Asia Airways, adding that Jet aims to launch fully scheduled flights by next year.

With a fleet of five wide-body Boeing 767 aircraft and a sixth one on the way, the airline currently operates scheduled charters from Bangkok and Phuket to China, South Korea and Japan, including Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Nanjing, Shenyang, Changsha, Tokyo and Seoul – cities that lie within a flight distance of between five and eight hours from the Thai capital.

Meanwhile, Japan’s recent visa liberalisation policy for Thai nationals has made Japan “more feasible for route development”, said Saba.

“We’ve been focusing on inbound passengers to Thailand, but we’re now keen to explore the outbound market as Thai market demand to Japan is strong,” he added.

Also in the delivery pipeline is a narrow-body B757 aircraft – likely within the next eight months – that will pave the way for Jet Asia Airways to introduce destinations within a three-hour radius in South China, South-east Asia and India, Saba shared.

At the same time, the airline has plans to enter Russia and the Middle East within the next year.

Established in 2009, Jet Asia Airways operates out of Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

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