AEC feed

Work has begun on the construction of the Sino-Lao railway project with technical development in land compensation taking place for the section between Phonhong and Vientiane.

Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport Lattanamany Khounnivong revealed the progress of the project while lecturing at the Party Central Committee’s Propaganda and Training Board on Monday to build understanding about the project among government officials, civil servants and government employees.
The development of the 427-kilometre railway linking the Laos-China border crossing Boten in Luang Namtha province and Vientiane is divided into six contracts for six sections.
They are the 68.7km section between Boten and Meuang Xay, the 68.8km section between Meuang Xay and Nam Seu bridge, the 65.6km section from Nam Seu bridge to Phou Sanaen, the 61.49km section from Phou Sanaen to Ban Pa village, the 79.5km section from Ban Pa to Phonhong and the 65.7km section from Phonhong to the capital.
The railway will need permanent use of about 3,000 hectares and temporary use of 800 hectares.
While some of the land belongs to the government, the rest is private.
“The sixth section from Vientiane to Phonhong, on which we have signed a contract, has a technical team dealing with land compensation, while construction companies are preparing to set up their working camps,” he said. – Vientiane Times

Mandalay-Bangkok flights to start this month

Myanmar National Airlines is planning to introduce a flight between Mandalay in Myanmar and Bangkok on August 31 with newly bought Boeing aircraft, sources say.
MNA began operating to Singapore and Hong Kong last year and from Yangon to Bangkok in February of this year.
MNA operates 27 domestic routes, more than any other local airline.
It bought six new ATR aircraft and three have already been delivered to Yangon.
US-based GE Capital Aviation Services offered MNA the opportunity to fly international flights as the national flag carrier.
On February 11, 2014, MNA and GE Capital Aviation Services signed an agreement to lease 10 new Boeing aircraft to MNA.
According to the agreement, GE Capital Aviation Services has agreed to lease six new Boeing 737-800 aircraft and four new Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft from June 2015 to 2020.|– Eleven Myanmar

Garuda dubbed world’s most loved airline

Airline reviews and rating site SkyTrax has dubbed Garuda Indonesia the most loved airline in the world.
Garuda took the top position from more than 420 participating airlines with a 85-per-cent satisfaction score, in a survey conducted by the website.
“This award makes us proud but it also another challenge for Garuda Indonesia to always give the best to its passengers,” Garuda Indonesia president director Arif Wibowo said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This success is inseparable from the thousands of hands who work hard to always give the best service as a five-star airline to passengers.”
The survey criteria included airline seat comfort, on-board services, on-board Wi-Fi, airport services and cost to service comparison.
Garuda Indonesia has also been dubbed one of the most loved airlines in the world by travel website TripAdvisor.
The survey included airlines from 49 countries and involved people speaking 29 languages. – The Jakarta Post