Flying to Tibet has been more and more convenient nowadays, with plenty of flight options operated by about 20 airlines. For foreign travelers, these options are divided into two categories:
International flights into Tibet: There is only one air route run between Tibet and another country other than China, which is the one connecting Lhasa, the capital city of China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
Domestic flights into Tibet: After arriving in China, you can choose among the eight gateway cities to take a flight into Tibet.
These cities including the national capital Beijing, in the North China; the international metropolis Shanghai, in the middle of China's east coast, and one of China's oldest port cities, Guangzhou, in the South China. And flights departing from these three are long-haul flights which often come with expensive airfare.
The remaining gateway cities are located in China's Southwest and Northwest, respectively Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Xining, Lanzhou, Kunming, Shangari-La. And the airports in these cities also serve as transfer station of flights initially from Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou.
In this post, we gather the info of the six airports that have closest air travel distance to Tibet. They are located in the neighboring country Nepal, and the neighboring provinces of Tibet-Qinghai Plateau: Yunnan Province, Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality. Traveling to Tibet from these six by air indicates faster and cheaper trip in general. Below is the list of these six airports with relevant info, in the order of air travel distance.
Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport (KTM), Nepal
Air line between Kathmandu and Lhasa: 607.4 km/377.4 mi
Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Altitude: 1, 400 meters
Note on document for boarding:
Entering Tibet by air from Kathmandu, requires the foreign passenger to have a Group Chinese Visa (tourist visa), a Tibet Travel Permit, in addition to a passport. The Group Chinese visa should only be applied for by a licensed travel agency in Kathmandu, on your behalf. The applicant is not be authorized to submit the application individually.
Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport
Shangari-La Airport (DIG), Yunnan
Air line between Shangari-La and Lhasa: 867 km/ 539 mi
Duration: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Altitude: 3, 280 meters
This is a civil airport located in the Southwest of Shangri-La County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Historically and culturally, this belongs to the Kham Tibet. The construction was finished in 1999 and it has been open to air traffic ever since. This is the airport (in China) with the shortest air travel distance to Tibet.
Shangri-La Airport
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU), Sichuan
Air line between Chengdu and Lhasa: 1248 km/ 776mi
Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Altitude: 495 meters
As the provincial capital of Sichuan, Chengdu is a vital transport hub of air lines, railway routes and road routes in the Southwest China. Chengdu has the most flights each day flying into Tibet. Since Chengdu is also the city in Southwest China with a myriad of international air lines, and the home to the Giant Panda, the worldly beloved animal, Chengdu has been more and more popular among those who'd like to have a combined trip of inland China and the exotic and mysterious Tibet. Besides, Chengdu is the haven for foodies. You can find any cuisine from any corner of the world in Chengdu.
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
Xining Caojiaopu International Airport (XNN), Qinghai
Air line between Xining and Lhasa: 1255 km/ 780 mi
Duration: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Altitude: 2, 170 meters
As the capital city of Qinghai Province, China, Xining is also the starting point of the legendary Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest railway, building across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Since the altitude of Xining is at the level between plain and plateau, it is ideal for newcomers to see how their body adapt to higher altitudes. Therefore, many foreign travelers would fly to Xining from elsewhere in China and then take the Qinghai-Tibet train from Xining to get acclimatized to the altitude.
Xining Caojiapu International Airport
Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG), Yunnan
Air line between Kunming and Lhasa: 1254 km/779 mi
Duration: 3 hours and 5 minutes
Altitude: 2, 103 meters
Kunming is the capital city of Yunnan Province, in Southwest China, fondly known as Spring City for its mild climate in sour seasons. Ever since its opening in 2012, it has been serving as an important hub for transport in China's Southwest. The budget airline Lucky Air is based in Kunming. Traveling in Kunming offer a chance to encounter the most diverse minority culture of about 20 ethnic groups in China.
Kunming Changshui International Airport
Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG), Chongqing
Air line between Chongqing and Lhasa: 1493.6 km/ 928mi
Duration: 2 hours and 55 minutes
Altitude: 416 meters
Before Chongqing was separated from Sichuan Province and set as the largest municipality of China, it was a prefecture-level city of Sichuan then. Sharing very similar food and culture with Sichuan, Chongqing has its distinctive trait with its enthusiastic, hospitable people, and its rich and varied spicy food.
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
Fun fact about Chengdu and Chongqing regarding to transport: These two cities work very well at filling the gaps of schedule of train and air services. Travelers can find affordable air tickets with multiple flight options in both cities.
For instance, when you find you need to fly from Chengdu to somewhere but the airfare turns out to be very high, you can search about the flight from Chongqing to the same destination, and you might be surprisedly finding that even after adding the high-speed train ticket from Chengdu to Chongqing, the transport fee ends up being great by flying from Chongqing. The same trick applies to the vice versa situation.
Note on documents needed to embark a domestic flight to Tibet: Foreign passengers need a valid Chinese visa, a Tibet Travel Permit and a passport to check in and get on board the plane. You might be able to purchase the ticket ahead but would not be allowed to get on board the aircraft.
