Lao Central Airlines Public Company (LCA)’s first Sukhoi Superjet 100 touched down at Wattay International Airport on Friday evening, the first of nine to join the airline’s fleet.
The plane was flown from Russia where it was manufactured.
LCA and the Sukhoi Civil Aircrafts Corporation of Russia signed a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of the 98-seater jets in May 201 0.
Phongsavanh Group staff and Lao and Russian officials and pilots pose in front of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 at Vientiane’s Wattay International Airport.
“We have ordered nine new Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft from Russia. The first three will arrive in Laos this year,” Phongsavanh Group Chairman Prof. Dr Od Phongsavanh said at the welcoming ceremony at the airport.
LCA, which is part of the Phongsavanh Group, was established in May 2010 with registered capital of 80 billion kip (US$10 million) to operate commercial air services, both domestically and internationally.
“The first aircraft landed on Friday, the second is expected in May and the third one will arrive in August,” Prof. Dr Od said. “The remaining six jets are expected to arrive in Vientiane next year.”
LCA will hold an opening ceremony for its new jet before it takes to the skies on scheduled flights, according to a handout from the airline.
LCA also has two Boeing 737-400 aircraft, one with 168 seats and the other with 152 seats, which went into service in May last year on the Vientiane-Bangkok and Vientiane-Luang Prabang routes.
The company began operating charter flights between Luang Prabang province and Thailand’s Khon Kaen province in December.
The airline plans to add more jet aircraft to its fleet between now and 2015 with a view to operating new routes in Asia and to other continents.
The new planes will play an important role in transporting the growing number of tourists. The airline is also planning to buy larger aircraft for use on inter-continental flights. Speaking at a Lao-Thai business discussion meeting recently Prof. Dr Od said “Our new large aircraft will be Boeing 777s that can fly to Paris, the USA, Beijing and Japan. They will arrive in Laos soon.”
The group plans to use the large aircraft for both passenger and cargo flights, and hopes to transport local produce to distant destinations in the future.
The handout noted that the airline is expa nding its fleet because Laos is now a member of the World Trade Organisation and the Asean Economic Community will come into effect in 2015 to boost regional integration.
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