VIENTIANE, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Lao Airlines, the Lao national carrier, is in expansion mode, re-launching direct flights from Vientiane's Wattay International Airport to Singapore's Changi International Airport from this October, according to an announcement by the company.
Earlier in 2017, Lao Airlines halted direct flights from Lao capital Vientiane to Singapore, for a number of unspecified reasons. However, the route is being re-launched beginning at the end of October, local daily Vientiane Times noted on Thursday.
The new flights between Vientiane and Singapore will begin on October 29 with fares starting at 155 U.S. dollars and can be bookable through their website.
The re-launch of the route from Laos to Singapore is expected to boost the economic development in terms of the influx of foreign tourists, investment and trade over the years to come.
Last year, two-way trade between the countries reached 30 million U.S. dollars, more than doubling from 13 million U.S. dollars recorded in 2015. In the same year, over 6,000 Singaporean tourists visited Laos. Singaporean investors invested 187 million U.S. dollars in 79 projects in Laos, making Singapore the 11th largest foreign investment source.
At the end of 2016, Singapore's SilkAir resumed its Singapore-Vientiane-Luang Prabang flight, which flies three times a week providing a convenient travel route to help boost investment and tourism cooperation.
In the joint commitment, SilkAir has set to offer more flights to Laos under a code-share agreement with Lao Airlines.
Currently Lao Airlines has direct routes to various major cities of Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea.
