Flights to and from Tibet

At present, taking a flight becomes one of the most popular methods to enter and exit Tibet. Tourists in China can fly directly to one of the 5 airports in Tibet, especially Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, from the other major cities of China: Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining, Xi’an, Urumqi, etc. In addition, there are 2 international flights running between Lhasa and Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Currently, except for Nepal which has direct international flights to Lhasa, the rest of the countries don’t have direct international flights to Tibet. Hence, a layover Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian, Kunming, Guangzhou, Xiamen, or even Kathmandu would be a good option for travelers from Europe or Americans. 

In 1955, Damxung County, about 166KM north of Lhasa city, was chosen as the base to build the first airport in Tibet. Due to the increasing demand for aviation and with the completion of Lhasa Gonggar International Airport in 1965, Damxung Airport was abandoned and now it has been demolished. After that, the four other main airports including Chamdo Bamda Airport, Nyingchi Mainling Airport, Shigatse Peace Airport, and Ngari Gunsa Airport were established successively in Tibet.

Lhasa Gonggar International Airport

Chinese Name: 拉萨贡嘎国际机场
IATA: LXA, ICAO: ZULS
Address: Gonggar County, Shannan Prefecture, Tibet, China. About 85KM away from the city center of Lhasa city.

Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, covering an area of 25,000 square meters at an elevation of 3,600 m (11,811 ft), is the largest and one of the highest airports in Tibet Autonomous Region. It also is the most important aviation hub with a total of 96 domestic and international flight routes connecting Lhasa with other 48 cities and an international city Kathmandu. Below is a list of route waypoint connecting with Lhasa until April 2019:

Domestic passenger destinations:

International and regional destinations:

Nyingchi Mainling Airport

Chinese Name: 林芝米林机场
IATA: LZY, ICAO: ZUNZ
Address: Yarlung Zangbo River Valley, Mainling County, Nyingchi, Tibet, China

Nyingchi Mainling Airport, with an altitude of only 2,949 m (9,675 ft), is the lowest airport in Tibet. And it is suggested to be one of the most challenging instrument approaches in the world as it is located in the winding Yarlung Tsangpo River valley. From here, it is convenient to reach the attractions including Lulang Forest, Giant Cypress Nature Reserve of Bajie, Midui Glacier and Rawok Lake, etc. Until December 2018, it opens 15 air routes connecting 12 cities/waypoints of mainland China.

Domestic passenger destinations:

Shigatse Peace Airport

Chinese Name: 日喀则和平机场
IATA: RKZ, ICAO: ZURK
Address: Jangdam Township, Samzhubzê District, Shigatse, Tibet, China, about 42KM to the urban area of Shigatse. 

Shigatse Peace Airport is the fifth civil airport in Tibet at an elevation of 3,782m (12,408 ft). The airport links Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet, with some of the important cities like Chengdu, Xi’an, Chongqing, etc. For those heading the western Tibet including Mt. Everest with limited time and wishing to skip Lhasa, they may consider flying to Shigatse to start the trip. Till June 2018, there are 6 air routes connecting 5 cities of mainland China.

Domestic passenger destinations:

Ngari Gunsa Airport

Chinese Name: 阿里昆莎机场
IATA: NGQ | ICAO: ZUAL
Address: Gunsa Township, Gar County, Ngari, Tibet, China, about 44km from southwest Shiquanhe Town

Ngari Gunsa Airport, or Ali Airport, located at the elevation of 4,274 m (14,022 ft) above the sea level, this airport is one of the high plateau airports which is available for takeoff and landing of the high-plateau-typed airplanes. At present, tourists can get to Ngari from Lhasa, Urumqi, and Kashgar by flight.

Domestic passenger destinations:

Chamdo Bamda Airport

Chinese Name: 昌都邦达机场
IATA: BPC | ICAO: ZUBD
Address: Bangda Prairie, Qamdo Prefecture, Tibet, China, about 126KM away from the downtown of Qamdo.

Chamdo Bamda Airport is the 3rd highest airport in the world with an elevation of 4,334m (14,219 ft). Situated in Eastern Tibet, it's renowned for the farthest distance to downtown with the world’s worst climate and the longest runway. Currently, it has opened 7 air routes connecting 6 cities of mainland China.

Domestic passenger destinations:

Lhasa Gonggar International Airport is the most popular airport chosen by tourists to enter and exit Tibet as it has the most air routes connecting the most cities. In addition, due to the altitude of Lhasa’s altitude is relatively lower than lots of other areas of Tibet, travelers can spend about 2-3 days in Lhasa to acclimatize to the high altitude before heading for further exploration. Below are the flight schedules between major cities and Lhasa for your reference. Please note that the flight schedules and tickets price might be adjusted based on seasons and actual demands. 

Domestic flights to Lhasa

Domestic flights from Lhasa

International flights to Lhasa

International flights from Lhasa

Due to the huge demand for flight tickets to Tibet and the supreme difficulty of flying across Tibet Plateau, the cost to take a flight to Tibet is somewhat higher than to most other places in China, besides,  it is also hard to find cheap flight tickets or flight tickets with discount, especially from April to October.

Please note that, except for flying to Lhasa from Kathmandu, overseas travelers need to show their passport with a valid Chinese visa and their original Tiber permit to board the flight to Lhasa. In this case, please make sure the individual Chinese visa and Tibet Travel Permit have been obtained in hand before flying to Lhasa. For travelers entering Lhasa from Kathmandu, you are required to show your Chinese group visa to check-in the flight, which can be arranged by your Tibet tour operator like WindhorseTour. 

Honestly speaking, for those traveling with sufficient time, we would recommend you to take a train via Qinghai-Tibet Railway to enter Lhasa instead, as flying to Lhasa doesn’t give your body enough time to gradually acclimatize the high altitude, which makes it more likely to suffer from the high altitude sickness in one way or another. Xining, Lanzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Beijing, and Shanghai become the primary choice to start the Tibet train journey to Lhasa. After finishing your trip in Tibet, flying out of Tibet would be a good choice.

Please kindly note that overseas travelers need not only Tibet permit but also a pre-organized tour including a licensed guide, a private vehicle with a driver through a local travel agency. We, WindhorseTour, as a local travel agency with over 13 years of experience, can help you with every aspect of your Tibet tour arrangements including flight or train tickets booking, Tibet permit application, and other tour arrangements for guides, hotels, transportation in Tibet. Please feel free to contact us (info@windhorsetour.com) to book air/train tickets to Tibet and customize your Tibet tour.