HANOI, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government has granted a license to the Booyoung Company of South Korea to carry out a feasibility study for the proposed Vientiane International Airport, the Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported Monday.
The agreement was signed in Vientiane by Lao Minister of PublicWorks and Transport Sommath Pholsena and Booyoung's chairman Lee Joong-Keun.
The new airport, to be built on a 5,000-hectare site in Xaythany district, will greatly benefit the Lao economy and the tourism industry as the existing international airport was no longer large enough, said Inthanousone Sisanonh, Lao Civil Aviation Department Director General.
The new airport was scheduled to begin its construction in 2015.
The Lao existing international airport will be used for another purpose. It could become an airfield for use by government leaders' planes or be used by local pilots' training school that the government plans to build, said Inthanousone.
Laos To Build New Airport To Replace Wattay International Airport
VIENTIANE, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- The Laos government is scouting for a suitable site to build a new airport, to replace the current Wattay International Airport, as the new one would give a good image of Laos to air travellers, Vice-Head of the Civil Aviation Department Vanpheng Chanthaphone said.
He said there is an urgent need for the new airport following an increase in the number of flights to and from Wattay, but its size and available facilities are limited.
"That is why the government is seriously thinking of building a new one in a more suitable location. We studied all the options and concluded that Wattay cannot cater adequately to the long term economic growth of Vientiane," he was quoted by the Lao news agency (KPL) as saying.
He also added that that the current Wattay International Airport which is located in a densely populated area, is the source of noise pollution, and there is a possibility for an unforseen air crash near the airport.
Recently, the Lao government gave the green light for the Booyong Company of the Republic of Korea to conduct a feasibility study to build a new airport.
The new location has been decided and it will be at Kilometre 21 of Road 13 South, in Xaythany district of Vientiane Capital and near the new International Stadium, the venue of the 25th SEA Games in 2009.
The Civil Aviation Department also said that a land area of 5,000 hectares has been set aside for the new airport and the feasibility study is expected to be completed by 2010.
If the Lao government approves the plan, the Booyong Company will carry out construction work in 2011 and its scheduled completion date is 2015.
