The new airport is located at the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and covers 300 ha. It would be the second airport in Bokeo province in addition to the existing small airport located in the provincial capital Huayxai. The new airport has been constructed by the owners of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, Chinese-owned Kings Romans Casino (Dok Ngiew Kham Group with chairman Zhao Wei). The construction cost of US$175 million is being financed by the Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Area Investment and Development (HK) Limited, which is a member of the Dok Ngiew Kham Group, as Vientiane Times reported. The aiport is designed to accommodate large aircrafts including the Boeing 747 and Airbus 320.
Doubts came up in Bokeo province and elsewhere about this airport project. The Lao government can expect to lose customs revenue, taxes and entry fees to Chinese investors who have the 99-year lease on the land in Bokeo where the airport is being built, as rfa.org reported.
The Golden Triangle SEZ has also become a haven for criminal activities including money laundering, prostitution, online scam and drug trafficking, as the International Crisis Group pointed out in a report. It named the Special Economic Zone "South East Asia’s Most Conspicuous Criminal Enclave". In December the Lao authorities deported 462 Chinese nationals for offenses including human trafficking from the Golden Triangle SEZ.
The International Crisis group reported, that online scam operations are running in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone. But lately China has asked the countries in South Asia to fight the criminal networks behind these scam operations. This could be one more reason, why the opening of Bokeo International Airport was in delay. Such a big airport, that can handle 2 millions of passengers a year only makes sense, if Chinese authorities agree to flights from Chinese airports to Bokeo to transport customers to the casino and the hotels.
Then Bokeo International airport hold an opening ceremony on 5 February 2024. The ceremony was attended by Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. But this ceremony was overshadowed by the announcement of Lao Airliness of the indefinite termination of Bokeo-Vientiane flights, as Laotian Times reported. So this airport for now only handles one passenger flight a day operated by Lanexang Airways International between Vientiane and Ton Pheung (ເມືອງຕົ້ນເຜິ້ງ). And this airline seems to be owned by the same Chinese company, who built the airport and developped the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone. This company got a 50-years concession for the airport, as Lao News Agency writes.
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