The launching ceremony of the direct flight between the ancient town of Luang Prabang, Laos and Changsha, Hunan was held at the Luang Prabang International Airport on November 28, 2018. This is the second international air route opened between Hunan province and Laos. The first one is between Changsha and Vientiane, which was opened in August 2015.
The ancient town of Luang Prabang, situated in northern Laos, has a history of more than 1000 years. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. As the ancient royal capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom, it is Laos premier tourist destination, enjoying worldwide reputation.
The direct route was opened by Lao Airlines in cooperation with Hunan Xiangfeng International Aviation Service Co., Ltd. It will be operated every Wednesday by Airbus A320 of Lao Airlines. The one-way trip will take 2 hours. The flight can serve for 158 passengers one time. The flight QV857 takes off from the Luang Prabang International Airport at 11:50 (local time) every Wednesday and arrives at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport at 15:00 (local time); the flight QV858 takes off from Changsha at 16:00 on the same day and arrives at Luang Prabang at 17:00. At the same time, the air route also connects back and forth between Vientiane to Luang Prabang. Passengers can buy round-trip tickets between Vientiane and Changsha.
Senior Consultant Song Jiefeng with the Hunan Xiangfeng International Aviation Service Co., Ltd stated that, with the official opening of the air route between the two places, there are round-trips connecting Hunan and Laos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It will benefit the 100,000-odd Hunan businessmen in Laos; and also help strengthen exchanges and cooperation in economic, trade, culture, tourism and other fields between both sides.