Bokeo International Airport: For two millions of Passengers - but only one Flight daily until now

Bokeo International Airport (BKIA) in Laos was expected to open end of 2023. But that did not happen. There was just a Youtube video announcing the opening soon:



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.

Construction of Bokeo International airport shown on Facebook Page of Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone on May 4 in 2023.

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.


Read also:
Will the Chinese Scam Networks relocate their Operations from Myanmar to Laos?

Inside Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone: A Chinese Zone in Laos, where Americans are not allowed in

Along the Mekong in Laos, on the border with Thailand, Myanmar and China, lies the "Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone" (Chinese: 金三角经济特区; Lao: ເຂດເສດຖະກິດພິເສດສາມຫຼ່ຽມຄຳ). If you spend just a few minutes there, you'll quickly realize that it's an area that Laos does not control. Who does? The zone has an area of about 3,000 hectares and was created in 2007 by the Lao government together with the Chinese-owned Hong Kong-registered company Kings Romans Group with the hope of generating economic development. A casino and hotels are the main attractions. But the zone has gained a reputation of being a Chinese city rife with illegal activities such as drug, human and animal trafficking, as you can read on Wikipedia. In January 2018, the United States Treasury Department sanctioned Kings Romans, its owner, Zhao Wei, and the "Zhao Wei Transnational Crime Organization," alleging the casino was used to launder money and traffic drugs, among other serious crimes. That's why holders of American passports are not allowed in, as this video docoumentations shows:




Another documentary bei International Crisis Group about the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone: Inside South East Asia’s Criminal Empire.



Read more:
Will the Chinese Scam Networks relocate their Operations from Myanmar to Laos?