China Express Airlines opened a direct flight from Chongqing to Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 20. This route is also the first direct flight from Chongqing to Laos. The photo shows the scene of the maiden flight. (Photo provided by China Express Airlines.)
The first direct flight route between southwest China’s Chongqing to Luang Prabang, Laos, was launched by China Express Airlines on Dec. 12. Henceforward, Chongqing tourists travelling to Laos will no longer need to transfer via Kunming, Bangkok, Singapore and other places.
The flight linking Chongqing and Luang Prabang runs every Friday with flight time of 2 hours and 10 minutes. The outbound flight number is G54855, departing from Chongqing at 00:30(UTC+8), arriving at Luang Prabang at 1:40(UTC+7); the return flight number is G54856, departing from Luang Prabang at 2:40(UTC+7), arriving at Chongqing at 5:50 (UTC+8). Before the direct flight route was opened, passengers travelling from Chongqing to Luang Prabang needed to transfer via Kunming, Bangkok, Singapore and other places, with the whole journey taking about 6 to 11 hours.
“There are 146 passengers on the maiden flight, with the occupancy rate reaching 89%. So far, we have received the demands of tourism teams from other destinations across the country to Laos via Chongqing,” an employee in China Express Airlines told China News Service, adding that currently the company’s 60 or so routes to Chongqing can all transfer to Laos through this flight.
The head of China Youth Travel Service Chongqing Branch told China News Service that winter is the peak season for Chinese tourists, especially the "silver-haired group" which is mainly composed of elderly tourists, to travel to Southeast Asia where the weather is warmer. "With the opening of Chongqing-Laos direct flight, we have also expanded our team to Laos for the next three months. The first three tour groups have already been fully booked. "
Tourism is an emerging industry in Laos, and China is a prominent source market for Laos' international tourism industry. According to statistics from the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, in 2018, more than 4.1 million tourists visited Laos, creating an income of 755 million US dollars for Laos. Among them, about 800,000 were Chinese tourists, a year-on-year increase of 26%.