International Flights to Tibet - 2024/2025

Currently, the only international direct flight route to Tibet is Kathmandu (Nepal) – Lhasa. The rest 4 airports in Tibet are mainly linked with domestic cities. The international flights between Lhasa and Kathmandu are operated up to 2 every day, sometimes just 1. Tourist can take a plane to Lhasa from Kathmandu within 1.5hrs. If you are not in Nepal or want to depart from your home country, you can take an international flight to major hub cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. These popular cities have both many domestic routes and frequent international flights for tourists' transfer convenience.

The Only One Nonstop International Line to Tibet

Kathmandu to Lhasa Flights

Be praised as “City of Romance” and “City of Temples”, Kathmandu tour definitely gives you a special experience and feeling. As a world famous holy city of hiking and Buddhism, Lhasa attracts plenty of tourists to share its unique culture and beautiful scenic spots. If Tibet is exactly on your must going list after travelling in Kathmandu, the 1.5 h's flying will help you to explore the charming destination soon.

Both Air China and Sichuan Airlines open nonstop flights from Kathmandu to Nepal. Everyday, there are 1- 2 flights taking off from Kathmandu and heading to Lhasa. Passengers will only spend 1.5 hrs on flying to the holy city – Lhasa.

Lhasa to Kathmandu Flights

Lhasa is the only city which has international routes to foreign country. Due to the short distance and flying duration, many tourists like to choose the Tibet – Nepal tour package at a time. It’s fantastic to imagine that you will enjoy another original world famous destination just one and a half hour flying later. Air China operates a daily direct flight departing from Lhasa at 11:15 am and arriving in Kathmandu at 10:30 am local time. The CA407 of Air China flies in a similar period with more frequent schedule every day.

Important Notice: 1) Above flight schedules and fares are only for reference, please contact us to catch up on the latest information. But we usually will keep them updated; 2) The airlines companies usually will cut down the flight schedules during winter and spring seasons. There may be no daily flight in some months; 3) All the takeoff time and landing time are local time, Lhasa: UTC+8, Kathmandu: UTC+5.

About Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport and Lhasa Gonggar Airport

International Flight to China + Domestic Flight to Tibet

Since Lhasa is well connected to most major cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing, etc, you can take a plane to the hub airport firstly, and then fly to Lhasa directly from one of these cities. Among these places, Chengdu and Chongqing offers 10 – 20 flights to Lhasa each day, much more frequent than Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Transfer in the gateway airport still provides a chance to enjoy the local featured scenery.

International Flights to Beijing – Tibet (Lhasa)

Beijing is the capital city and an international city in China with much developed transportation and convenient links with many overseas countries, such as London,Berlin, Moscow, Sydney, cities of North America, Africa,Middle East, East Asia, etc. Beijing only has the flights to Lhasa Tibet.The flying distance between Beijing and Lhasa is about 1867 miles (3004 km) for 4-6 hrs.Totally, there are three daily nonstop flights runs between Beijing and Lhasa.Many tourists can travel to Beijing directly from their home countries and then fly to Lhasa Tibet without time- consuming transfers.

Beijing to Lhasa Flights

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International Flights to Shanghai – Tibet (Lhasa）

Shanghai is one of two most popular international arrival hubs in China, well connected with all the major cities in China at the same time. Foreigners in overseas countries,e.g, Paris, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Bali, Tokyo, Bangkok, Chiengmai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Macau can fly to Shanghai from abroad and transfer to Lhasa later. Shanghai also only runs Shanghai Lhasa flights, no more links with other cities in Tibet.

The Shanghai Lhasa flights costs about 7-9 hrs at a flying distance of 1930 miles (3107km). Normally, Shanghai operates about 5 flights to Lhasa every day, but only 2 flights are direct flights, others are connecting flights which need to transfer at Chongqing, Xian, etc.

Shanghai to Lhasa Flights

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International Flights to Guangzhou– Tibet (Lhasa)

Located in southeast China, Guangzhou is the capital city of Guangdong Province, but also the most important trade harbor, a national gateway city and an international transportation hub in the world. Travel to Guangzhou from North America, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia or any other navigation nations is very convenient. Except flights, Guangzhou is easy to go from the rest major cities in China by high speed train and ships.

There is only 1 city in Tibet - Lhasa connected with Guangzhou. Flying to Lhasa from Guangzhou is about 1647 miles ( 2651km) far for 6 – 9 hrs. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN – 广州白云国际机场) has around 5 flights to Lhasa per day, which includes only one direct flight and the remaining connecting flights. The China Southern Airlines run its daily flight to Lhasa which departs from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 8:10 am and gets to Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 14:05pm.

Guangzhou to Lhasa Flight

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International Flights to Chengdu – Tibet (Lhasa/Shigatse/Nyingchi/Qamdo)

Chengdu is the capital city of Sichuan Province and a major transportation junction in southwest China. It is the most important gateway to/off Tibet than Beijing, Shanghai, etc. Chengdu has lots of available flights to Lhasa, Shigatse, Nyingchi and Qamdo. Besides, there are many international airlines operating direct flights originated from Europe London, Asia Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Bangkok and worldwide cities to Chengdu, so are the inland cities in China.

Flying distance between Chengdu and Lhasa is 768 miles (1286km) for about 2.5 hrs (to Shigatse: 2.5hrs, 1,526km, to Nyingchi: 2h 10m, 1,190km; to Qamdo: 1.5h 769km). Therefore, you have more than 20 flights to choose to Tibet in Chengdu. And Chengdu offers 12-17 flights to Lhasa each day departing from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport( CTU- 成都双流国际机场).

Some Chengdu to Lhasa Flights

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Useful Notes on Tibet Flight Travel

1. Necessary documents required to take a flight to/off Tibet

- The passport will be needed for many situations: booking flight ticket, checking in flight, checking in hotel, checking in the Border Station in Tibet, etc. Make sure your passport is valid and original.

- Chinese visa is always needed no matter you are taking a flight or a train to Tibet. The office man in the airport will check your Chinese visa when your go to board the plane.

- Tibet Travel Permit is the MUST-DOCUMENT to take a flight to Tibet, firstly needed for ticket booking . When checking in and checking out the airports, the original Tibet Travel Permit will be checked. Please duplicate at least 3 copies for other use.

- Tibet Group Visa is required if you travel to Tibet from Nepal. It is also valid to extend your trip to other destinations of China after your Tibet Tour. Flyting to Tibet from Beijing and other inland cities doesn't need the Tibet Group Visa.

- Tibet Border Pass is another must document for cross - border travellers. The scanning copy will be checked before boarding in Nepal and when landing in Tibet.

2. How to book flight ticket?

The flight ticket can be booked at online websites, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Ctrip, Qunar, etc. You can also buy the ticket from the airports in China or flight resellers. You are also welcomed to let us book your flight. We are always keeping up with the latest flight news and usually can book the ticket at a cheaper price. During summer and autumn, it is usually difficult to book the flights to Lhasa. While using our booking service, we will not only book the ticket, but also arrange a valuable tour package.

3. When is the best time to fly to Tibet?

Generally speaking, months from April to October are recommended for traveling in Tibet. Other months are usually very cold, and possibly have heavy snow, especially in regions like Mount Everest, Mount Kailash, Namtso Lake, etc. The flights schedules are also more frequent during April to October. During December to March, the airline companies will cut down the flight schedules, usually from daily weekly, even to none. But top cities like Chengdu and Beijing still operate daily flights during the shoulder season. It is recommended to take the morning flight so that you can get to Lhasa before late afternoon, and have enough time to acclimatize yourself to the altitude and thick air in Lhasa. The morning flights also cut down the risk that your flights would be delayed or canceled.

4. Apart from Kathmandu, where can I also take a flight to Tibet?

Apart from Kathmandu, you can only fly to Tibet from Chinese cities, like Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Beijing, Shanghai, Shanggri-la, etc.

5. International flights to Tibet

So far, Kathmandu – Lhasa flight is the only flight connecting Lhasa.

6. What else airport I can fly to except for Lhasa Gonggar International Airport?

Tibet has five airports in total. Besides Lhasa Gonggar Airport, you can also take a flight to Shigatse, Nyingchi, Ngari and Qamdo. But only certain cities in China operate flights to these smaller cities.

- Shigatse - there is daily flight flying between Chengdu and Shigatse each day. The airport name is Shigatse Peace Airport, which is about 46km from Shigatse city.

- Nyingchi - Chengdu usually offers 4 morning flights to Nyingchi Mainling Airport. While its neighboring city Chongqing also has 3 morning flights to Nyingchi each day. If you travel from Nyingchi to Lhasa, you are recommended to take a flight to Nyingchi firstly from Chengdu or Chongqing. It is also available to fly out Tibet directly from Nyingchi.

- Qamdo - Both Chongqing and Chengdu operate a daily flight to Qamdo in Tibet. But there are few travelers have chosen this line because Qamdo is not a popular tourist destination in Tibet.

- Ngari - Urumqi (capital of Xinjiang) offers a daily direct flight to Ngari with a stop at Kashgar on every Tuesday and Friday. Taking this flight, passengers need Military Permit and Border Pass as well as Tibet Travel Permit.

7. The regulation on the luggage allowance on the plane

8. Will my kids get a discounted flight ticket?

Kids aging 2 to 12 years old (including 12) will get a discount of 50% of the full price of the flight fare. If an adult take a flight to Lhasa from Chengdu with a child aging at 10 and if the full price for the economy class is 2562 CNY, the ticket fare for the child is 1281 CNY. The child also doesn’t have to pay for Airport Construction Fee while the adult has to. Infant under 2 years old only has to pay 10% of the full price, but the separate seat is not provided.

9. How do I collect (receive) the flight ticket?

Since most flight tickets are booked online, so firstly you will receive an e-ticket. You will change a paper ticket when you checking in your flight at a counter in the airport.

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