Pakse International Airport

Pakse International Airport (IATA: PKZ, ICAO: VLPS) is one of the three international airports in Laos. Pakse is the former southern capital city of the Kingdom of Champasak.

Pakse International Airport ສະຫນາມບິນສາກົນປາກເຊ
IATA: PKZ ICAO: VLPS
Summary
Airport type	Public / Military
Owner	Civil Aviation Authority
Operator	Military of Laos
Location	Pakse, Champasak
Opened	1959; 66 years ago (1959)
Focus city for	Lao Airlines
Elevation AMSL	351 ft / 107 m
Coordinates	15°08′02″N 105°46′55″E
Map
PKZ/VLPS Location of airport in Laos
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 15/33 7,874 2,400 Asphalt

Facilities

The airport has been in use since 1959^[1] and re-opened after renovations in 2001. A new control tower next to the terminal replaced a short one to provide ATC at the airport. The terminal is designed to mimic the Lan Xang-style architecture used for Buddhist temples in Laos.

Though civilian, the airfield is also used by the military. Lao People's Army barracks and the headquarters of Military Region 4 are next to the airport. The airport is a military airfield for Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft as a detachment base.^[2]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Lao Airlines	Guangzhou,[3] Ho Chi Minh City,[4] Luang Prabang, Siem Reap, Vientiane[5]
Lao Skyway	Vientiane

Accidents and incidents

• On 16 October 2013, Lao Airlines Flight 301, operated by an ATR 72–600 crashed into the Mekong River shortly after an aborted landing at Pakse, killing all 49 people on board. It was later determined that the causes of the crash included pilot error and poor weather caused by the remnants of Typhoon Nari that were affecting Southern Laos.