LAO Airlines has been forced to cancel some flights on the Vientiane-Savannakhet-Siem Reap route, citing a drop in passenger numbers, the Laotian Embassy in Phnom Penh said Tuesday. Kengchai Sixanon, the Laotian Embassy’s first secretary, said the cancellations were directly related to a decline in passengers in recent weeks. “It simply comes down to if there’s not enough passengers then you cannot fly. But this is not a permanent cancellation,” he said. He said the flights would increase along with tourist demand, which may have been affected by the Thai conflict.