The passenger terminal at Attapeu is a pleasant mix of traditional and modern Laos architecture. The 2,860 metre runway can accommodate aircraft such as the Fokker 100, the ATR 72 and other similar machines with up to about 100-passenger seat capacities.
Attapeu Airport will receive international flights and will become the fourth Laos airport with an international designation. The facility is 25kms from the city of Attapeu and provides a convenient gateway to the region of the country that forms part of the Laos-Cambodia-Vietnam triangle.
At present, tourists wishing to visit local attractions such as the Xepain River Cascades and Saysetthatthirath Pagoda face arduous journeys to get here. Buses from the capital of Vientiane take 12 hours plus while the closest airport is 200kms away in Paxse.
The cost of the US$36 million airport came in the form of a loan from Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group. The group has already invested US$1 billion in establishing rubber plantations in Attapeu Province.
New southern Laos airport almost completed
News in Asia
The contractor in charge of building a new airport in southern Laos says the project is almost complete. Construction at Attapeu Airport began two years ago and a spokesperson for the contractor said the facility should be ready to receive its first passengers in May.