Lao Skyway: Helicopters and Light Aircraft for the Remotest Laos

The fleet

Lao Skyway's fleet, made up according to the most recent data of about 6 helicopters and 7 fixed-wing aircraft, is designed to operate on the short, unpaved runways of Laos's most isolated provinces, a task that standard mainline aircraft could not perform. The use of the Xian MA-60 turboprop on routes such as Vientiane-Savannakhet, launched in mid-2024, shows an attempt to extend the use of fixed-wing aircraft to links with more regular demand as well.

Routes and network

The network includes destinations such as Phongsaly, Xam Neua, Sayaboury, Bokeo and Luang Namtha, mountainous northern provinces where flying is often the only realistic alternative to road journeys that can take a whole day or more. The charter service, alongside the scheduled one, also covers unscheduled transport needs, including aerial work with the helicopters.

An infrastructure role more than a tourist one

Rather than an airline designed for the international tourist, Lao Skyway performs an essential connecting function for otherwise isolated communities, a role comparable to that of small regional operators in other mountainous areas of the world, from the Andes to the Himalayas. The availability of helicopters sets the company apart from most regional carriers in Southeast Asia, almost all of which are based on fixed-wing aircraft alone.

Lao Skyway is useful mainly to those who need to reach the most remote and mountainous provinces of northern Laos, where roads are slow or impassable in certain seasons, or to those who need a helicopter charter for specific work or rescue needs. It is not an airline designed for the tourist looking for regular schedules and frequencies on main routes: the scheduling of scheduled flights is more subject to change than with a major carrier. A practical tip: on these routes it is always worth confirming the flight in the days immediately before departure, because weather conditions on the smaller provincial runways can lead to cancellations at short notice.