Korea Airports Corp. eyes deal to expand int'l airport in Laos

Korea Airports Corp., which operates 14 airports nationwide, seeks to sign a partnership with the government of Laos to develop and expand the international airport in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and enter the Southeast Asian market for airport management. KAC announced the results of a third feasibility study on the expansion of Luang Prabang airport, Thursday (local time), with Laotian government officials and airport authorities. The company has conducted the feasibility study jointly with Dohwa Engineering since last December to stay ahead in an international bid for the public-private partnership with the Laotian authorities. The Laotian government and airport authorities seek a private partner in a 200b won ($150m) project to expand and manage Luang Prabang airport for 50 years. Since its establishment in 1998, Luang Prabang International Airport has been operated by the Lao Airport Authority, a sub-governmental organization under the Laotian Ministry of Public Works and Transport. It is an international entry point to the Southeast Asian city and offered regular flights to Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Hanoi, Jinghong, Chengdu, Siemreap, Singapore and Incheon before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite multiple attempts by the socialist country to renovate the state-run facility, the airport remains derelict and faces challenges to expansion due to the region's mountainous geography and decline in visitor numbers following a two-year border closure prompted by the pandemic.<br/>