Gonggar Airport of Lhasa
Also known as the Gonggar Airport or the Lhasa Airport, it lies on the southern bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River at Gyazhuling Township of Gonggar of Shannan. The airport with an elevation of 3,540 meters is about 100 kilometers to the south of Lhasa. The runway at the Gonggar Airport is 4,000 meters long, allowing all the present types of large planes in the world to take off and land easily. The airport is equipped with advanced communication, navigation, power, weather forecast, ticket systems and ground satellite transmission station. The 10,000-square-metre waiting hall is bright and 600 passengers can flow by easily every hour.
Nyingchi Airport, the 3rd civil airport in Tibet, formally went into operation in 2006, providing more conveniences to domestic and overseas tourists to Tibet. Nyingchi Airport may become many tourists' first stop in Tibet because its altitude is less than 3,000 meters, allowing visitors to acclimatize themselves gradually to higher altitudes.
Remember to look out the window! Along the way you'll be delighted by the breathtaking scenery of southeastern Tibet prior to your Lhasa tour.
Ngari Gunsa Airport in northwest Tibet opens from July 1, 2010. Farthest from Lhasa among all Tibetan prefectures, Ngari is difficult for tourists to get to due to long distance and poor road condition. Before the airport, Ngari was linked to Lhasa only by road and it took 3 days to cover the 1,600-km route.
Luckily, Ngari now is easily accessible. It will take only one and a half hour to reach Ngari from Lhasa. What’s more, Ngari Airport will make a less-than-4-hour traffic possible from Chengdu to Ngari.
Shigatse Peace Airport, built near the world's tallest peak Mount Everest in Shigatse Tibet, opens from October 30, 2010, marking the launching of the 5th civil airport of Tibet. Shigatse is located 250km from Lhasa and it normally takes 3-4 hours to get there due to poor road conditions. Flights now only take 2 hours and 15 minutes from Chengdu to Shigatse and 30 minutes from Lhasa to Shigatse.
