What cities have flights to / from Lhasa?

Lhasa is the capital city of the Tibetan Plateau and it is host to tourists from all over the world. There are several ways to get to Lhasa: By train, by car or by plane. The last one is the most convenient way, but at the same time the most challenging when it comes to acclimatization. If you travel by car or train, you will gradually acclimatize, but getting to Lhasa by plane you don’t have time for acclimatization, and most of the travelers might have symptoms of altitude sickness upon arrival. We advise you upon arrival to rest and acclimatize for a day or two in Lhasa before continuing to the journey in Tibet. 

However, as we said, getting to Lhasa by plane is the fastest and the most used way to travel from mainland China to Lhasa. 

Lhasa has one main airport that facilitates flights to and from Lhasa: The Lhasa Gonggar Airport (LXA). It is a medium size airport in China and it is a domestic airport currently with 28 domestic flights to Lhasa. The airport is approximately 62 kilometers (around 38.5 miles) south of Lhasa city center, in Gonggar County. The Gonggar Airport is the highest airport in the world with an altitude of around 3,570 meters (11,713 feet) above sea level. The airport is equipped with modern amenities, including lounges, duty-free shops, restaurants, and cafes. It is well-prepared to handle international and domestic flights. 

From the airport travelers can go to Lhasa by taxi, shuttle buses or it can hire a private car. 

Whenever you are in mainland China you can easily go to Lhasa by plane. There are 28 airports that have direct flight to Lhasa. 

And here there are: 

Beijing 

From the capital city of China you can fly non-stop Air China (Star Alliance) or Tibet Airlines. You can choose a ticket for Economy, Premium Economy, Business and First class. The price is around $500 for economy class on a one way flight. 

Chengdu 

The most departed flights in Lhasa are from Chengdu. If you are in Chengdu you have four or five airlines that have direct flights to Lhasa depending on which airport you want to depart from. From Chengdu Tianfu International Airport you can fly with Air China (Star Alliance), Chengdu Airlines, China Eastern (SkyTeam), Lucky Air and Sichuan Airlines. And from the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport you can choose between Air China, Chengdu Airlines, Sichuan Airliner and Tibet Airlines. Price for a one way economy ticket is around $400. 

Chongqing 

Airlines that operate direct flights to Lhasa are: Air China (Star Alliance), China Southern, Sichuan Airlines, Tibet Airlines, West Air and Xiamen Airlines (SkyTeam). If you choose to depart from Chongqing you’ll need to allocate from the budget from $300 to $450 for a one way ticket. The price depends of Airline Company and the day you want to travel. 

Dali

Flying direct from Dali to Lhasa is only with Tibet airlines and the price for one way ticket is from $350 to $400. 

Kunming 

From Yunnan Province to Tibet, you can fly from Kunming with three Airlines Companies: Tibet Airline, Lucky Air and China Eastern (Sky Team). The ticket price is around $370 depending on the airline company and the period of departure. 

Shigatse 

Flying from Shigatse to Lhasa is a non-stop flight with Air China (Star Alliance). 

Xi’an 

If you are in Xi’an to visit the Terracotta Army and now you are ready to visit some other rich culture in Tibet, then you will book a ticket with one of these Airline companies: China Eastern (SkyTeam), Sichuan Airlines and Tibet Airlines. 

Xining 

From Gansu Province to Lhasa you can fly non-stop with Tibet Airlines or Sichuan Airlines. 

Yibin and Yichang

From Yibin and Yichang you can fly only with Tibet Airlines. 

There are Seasonal Flights to Lhasa that start in August and end in October. Here are the cities from mainland China to Lhasa: 

• From Changsha you can fly with Tibet Airlines. 
• From Golmud, you can fly non-stop to Lhasa with West Air. 
• Flying from Guangyuan to Lhasa offers only Tibet Airlines.
• From Lanzhou, direct flights are offered by Tibet Airlines. 
• From Luzhou, you can fly non-stop with Tibet Airlines or West Air. 
• From Qianjiang, direct flights are operated by West Air. 
• From Shanghai, the only airline with direct flights is China Eastern (SkyTeam).
• From Shiquanhe, Ngari, is Tibet Airlines.
• From Wuhan, direct flights are offered by Chengdu Airlines. 
• From Zhengzhou, you can fly non-stop with Chengdu Airlines or Lucky Air.

At this point, there are only domestic flights, that means if you are traveling from another country, you will need to book a flight with a stopover, for example though Beijing or Shanghai to arrive in Lhasa.