Tonpheung District is around 50kms from the provincial capital of Huay Xai and on the banks of the Mekong River. The river marks the border between Laos and Thailand. Despite the fact Huay Xai already has a tiny regional airport, airline industry insiders say an international air gateway at Tonpheung will give better access to the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone as a whole.
The government of Laos agreed a contract with Dok Ngiew Kham Group back in January of 2012 to assess the feasibility of the airport. The new construction is also a joint undertaking between the two entities and Dok Ngiew Kham is providing 30 per cent of the financing.
Reports in local media say compensation has already been agreed with families who will be forced to relocate and construction will commence just after the New Year. When up and running, Tonpheung Airport will provide travellers to this region with an alternative to Mae Fah Luang Airport in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province.
Northwest Laos to get international airport
News in AsiaThe governor of Laos’s northwestern Bokeo Province has announced that plans to construct an international airport here have been given the green light. Khammane Souvileunt said the site for the airport in Tonpheung District had already been surveyed and that the new airport would provide a central hub for flights to countries in this region of Southeast Asia.