Laos forum

Aid flight? or maybe Air America are making a comeback.

How many MIAs have you guys got over there? I presume most will be aircrew.did you have ground troops in Laos during the Vietnam war? I mean as well as Special Forces.

Much obliged Somsai.

Hey
Does anyone know if you are able to fly Luang Prabang - Pakse. Am wanting to in January.

Thanks!

Very interesting how the thread twists and turns :)... I just got back to Vientiane from 4 days in Phonsavan and while there read a book that was in the lodge's library entitled "Lost Over Laos." It is principally a story by two Vietnam war photographers about 4 of their colleagues who were shot down and presumed killed while being helicoptered into Loas in Feb '71 in the early days of the ARVN's USA supported invasion of Laos. The book gives some interesting look into the lives of the field journalists during the 2nd Indochina war and also about the whole search for MIA thing from the USA military as that special unit finally found and inspected the crash site and remains in Laos where the journalists along with several ARVN personnel went down.

As far as I know, and as per the Lao Airlines website, Pakse airport remains closed until at least January. In the meantime they're using Savannakhet airport and busing people around. If you've already got tickets, and are flying before January, you'll be landing in Savannakhet.

Hope that helps

"The Laos government has kind of sucked on this issue - because they killed POWs when the conflict ended and just never wanted to admit it."

Evidence please, Mac?"

Rufus
Do you think that Scotty beamed them aboard the Enterprise? We know of a number who were held and not returned. The theory that some "Chose to remain" when they were being brutally mistreated by the Pathet Lao is beyond ludicrous - and even is "some" had done so, surely not all would have done so. The Laotian government killed the POWs just like it killed the royal family.

Pakse airport reopens for large aircraft

(KPL) Champassak province’s Pakse International Airport officially reopened for the big airline kites to land on 1 November 2009, after its closure in March 2008 for the upgrading on its runway.
The Lao Civil Aviation Department announced recently that Lao Airlines and other airlines would resume their normal flight services to and from Pakse International Airport, starting from 1 November 2009 upon completion of the airport upgrading project.

A series of local and regional flights, such as the following would commence: Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse, Siem Reap, Savannakhet and Bangkok, and vice versa.

Owing to the Airport Upgrading Project, the runway was closed for one and half year for repairs and resurfacing work on some parts of the runway.

Director-General of Lao Civil Aviation Department Mr Yakua Laopangkao said that certain stretches of the runway were constructed several decades ago and they suffered from wear and tear. “We gave priority to carrying out work to improve the runway as we were making every effort to ensure the smooth landing of the huge and wide-bodied airline kites as we would like to welcome the growing number of visitors to Champassak province,” said Mr Yakua.

Mr Anousack, Lao officer, said that this airport upgrading project was for the purpose of upgrading Pakse airport to reach the capability of an international airport and thereby enabling Boing-737 and Airbus-A320 airliners to land and take off.

The runway was extended from 1,650 x 36 metres to 2,400 x 45 metres. The Pakse Airport Upgrading Project was funded by the Thai government to the tune of 230 million Baht, 30% of which was in the form of a direct grant and the rest was a loan, albeit at a low interest loan.

KPL Lao News Agency 10 Nov 2009
http://www.kpl.net.la