Why Take Flight to Ngari from Lhasa
1. Ngari is an amazing place called Ancestry of Mountains and Origion of Rivers. It always attracts numerous tourists with its natural scenery and holy spots, including unclimbable peak - Mt. Kailash and unconquerable lake - Lake Manasarovar. There are many Buddhist making kora around them.
2. Compare with Lhasa and Shigatse, Ngari is a rather remote area. It cannot be reached by trains at present, so driving and taking flights are only means to Ngari. Taking a flight takes only two hours and you can avoid the long journey on the road.
3. You can only take a flight to Ngari from Lhasa or Urumqi (via Kashgar). There is one daily nonstop flight from Lhasa to Ngari and one from Ngari to Lhasa operated by Tibet Airlines. It is easier to take a flight from Lhasa than Urumqi, where flights to Ngari are only available on Tuesday and Friday.
4. Connected with many major cities in China, Lhasa is accessible by flights easily. You can easily take a nonstop flight from Chengdu, Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Kunming, Shangri-La etc. As result, it is convenient to get to Ngari from other tourists destinations in China with a transfer in Lhasa.
Mount Kailash
Lake Manasarovar
Lhasa Ngari Flights Schedules
Ngari Gunsa Airport is only connected with Lhasa and Urumqi (via Kashgar) by flight. There are two daily nonstop flights commuting between Lhasa and Ngari. TV9807 leaves Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 7:00 and reaches Gunsa Airport at 9:00. TV9808 takes off from Ngari Gunsa Airport at 9:40 and lands on Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 11:45. The whole journey takes about 2 hours over 777 miles.
Check following table for details about Lhasa Ngari Flight Schedules and Fares to decide which to choose.
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.
Lhasa to Ngari or Ngari to Lhasa
On the road from Lhasa to Ngari, there are lots of worth-seeing attractions. So it is recommended to have one-way driving tour to enjoy the beautiful scenery and one-way flight tour to skip the long and repeated journey. The average altitude of Lhasa is about 3,650km while the average altitude of Ngari comes to about 4,500 km. Most people choose to travel from Lhasa to Ngari by road, because they can acclimatize themselves with the higher and higher altitude. But for these tourists who have rich experience on travelling on high plateau and will no longer suffer from high altitude sickness, it is also available to travel to Ngari first.
About Ngari Gunsa Airport Airport
Ngari Gunsa Airport (IATA: NGQ, 阿里昆莎机场) is located in 45km southwest Shiquanhe Town of Ngari. Because of its high altitude of 4,274km, people honored Gunsa Airport as the roof of “the Roof of the World”. It was a challenging project to build such an airport and it took over four years to finish it. This airport is one of the high plateau airports which are able to serve the takeoff and landing of the High-plateau-typed airplanes.
Ngari Gunsa Airport cannot be reached by international flights directly, and you have to make a transfer in other cities of China. At present, it is only directly connected with Lhasa and Urumqi (Kashgar). There is daily flight from Lhasa to Ngari, taking about 2 hours. If you want travel from Beijing, Chengdu and Xian to Ngari, you must transfer at Lhasa.
Transfer to/off Ngari Gunsa Airport
Ngari Gunsa Airport is 200km (about 4.5 hours driving) away from Darchen – the starting point of pilgrimage around Mount Kailash. Since Ngari is still a remote area without convenient transportation, renting a car is always the most popular means for Chinese independent travelers. For foreign friends, you have to travel with a local agency and use a local car.
Ngari Gunsa Airport
About Lhasa Gonggar International Airport
Lhasa Gonggar International Airport (LXA - 拉萨贡嘎国际机场) is the largest and most important airport in Tibet Autonomous Region. In 2016, the airport has greeted more than 3 million passengers, most of whom are travelers, including thousands of foreigner travelers. The airport is about 62 kilometers (39 mi) southwest of the city in Gonggar County of Shannan, and . The airport is one of the highest airports in the world with an elevation of 3,570 meters (11,710 ft). Airbus A340 and Boeing 757 aircrafts are allowed to park in the airport.
International Flights to Lhasa
So far, there is only one international air line connecting Lhasa: Kathmandu – Lhasa. During summer days, there are daily direct flights operated, sometimes two flights and sometimes just one flight. Only Air China and Sichuan Airlines are operating the Kathmandu - Lhasa flights. To take a flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, one will need a Group Visa, Tibet Travel Permit and Tibet Border Pass.
Domestic Flights to Lhasa
Lhasa Gonggar Airport is well connected to many cities in China, including Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Kunming, Chongqing, Xining, Shangri-La, etc. Among all these cities, Chengdu is the most popular hub for taking flights/off Tibet. There are more than 20 flights flying between Chengdu and Lhasa each day. Xian also operates about 4~6 flights to Lhasa each day.
Transfer to/off Lhasa Gonggar International Airport
Lhasa Gonggar Airport is about 60km from Lhasa downtown. It costs about 100~200 CNY to the Barkhor Street area of Lhasa city. Airport shuttle bus is also available, and costs only about 25 CNY. It usually takes about 1~1.5 hours to transfer between the airport and Lhasa downtown.
Tibet Discovery also provides you convenient and comfortable airport pick-up and drop-off services which are usually included in our Tibet tour packages. If you take our group tours, you will enjoy our free airport pick-up and drop-off services which are offered at contain hours:
Free Airport Transfer to Hotel in Lhasa
- - Around 10:00 pick up travelers who arrive at Lhasa Gonggar Airport before 09:30 AM;
- - Around 14:00 pick up travelers who arrive at Lhasa Gonggar Airport before 13:30 PM;
- - Around 17:00 pick up travelers who arrive at Lhasa Gonggar Airport before 16:30 PM.
Free Transfer to Airport from Hotel in Lhasa
- - Around 07:00 pick up travelers who departs from Lhasa Gonggar Airport between 09:00 ~ 11:30 AM;
- - Around 09:30 pick up travelers who departs from Lhasa Gonggar Airport between 11:30 AM ~ 14:30 PM;
- - Around 12:30 pick up travelers who departs from Lhasa Gonggar Airport after 14:30 PM.
- Learn more about Lhasa Gonggar International Airport.
Lhasa Gonggar International Airport
Tibet Travel Permit and Flight Travel
A Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Entry Permit) is the MUST-DOCUMENT to take a flight to Tibet. It is firstly needed to book flight at the airport. When you check in and check out the airports, the original Tibet Travel Permit also will be checked. Please remember to duplicate at least 3 copies of Tibet Travel Permit because the permits are required for many occasions. The permit can only be issued in Tibet by the Tibet Tourism Bureau, and also can be only applied by travel agency behalf of travelers. It needs about 15~20 days to obtain the permit.
How to Apply for Tibet Travel Permit
1. Contact us to work out and confirm an itinerary in Tibet;
2. Send us the scanned copies of your passport, and provide an available address in China(hotel or local agency) to receive your permit;
3. We apply for the Tibet Travel Permit from Tibet Tourism Bureau in Lhasa;
4. Once the permit is issued, we will send the scanning copy of permit by Email.
>> Learn more detail about Tibet Travel Permit Application
Tibet Border Pass
When you travel to Ngari, either by flight or by road, you need to have Border Pass (also called Frontier Pass) in hands. It is issued by Armed Police Tibet Frontier Crops in Lhasa. Just as Tibet Travel Permit, the scanning copy of Tibet Board Pass will be checked before you board the airplane or leave the airport. TibetDiscovery could help you to apply Border Pass as well. Send us your copy of passport, tour itinerary, copy of your China Visa and copy of Tibet Travel Permit 20 days before your Tibet Tour, we can obtain this pass for you and send the scanning copy to you.
>> Learn more detail about Tibet Border Pass
Military Permit
Visiting Ngari (Mt. Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, Guge kingdom Site and so on), only the Tibet Travel Permit and Tibet Border Pass are not enough, and Military Permit is also a must. Military Permit is issued by the Military office in Lhasa, and can only be obtained by travel agency as well. Because of the long procedure to get this permit, you should provide your scanning copy of valid passport and visa to us at least 20 days before you leaving for Ngari.
>> Learn more detail about Military Permit
Tibet Travel Permit
Tibet Board Pass
Military Permit
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.
- Original 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.
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 thin air in Lhasa. The morning flights also cut down the risk that your flights would be delayed or canceled.
4. Apart from Ngari, where can I also take a flight to Tibet?
Apart from Ngari, you can also fly to Tibet from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian, Kunming, Beijing, Shanghai, Shanggri-la, etc.
5. International flights to Tibet
So far, there is only one international air line connecting Lhasa: Kathmandu – Lhasa. During summer days, there are daily direct flights operated, sometimes two flights and sometimes just one flight. Only Air China and Sichuan Airlines are operating the Kathmandu - Lhasa flights. To take a flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, one will need a Group Visa and Tibet Travel Permit.
6. Airports in Tibet I can fly to from other cities in China
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.
- Lhasa - there are over 20 daily nonstop flights connecting Lhasa with other cities, including Chengdu, Chongqing, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xian, Xiahe, Yushu etc.
- 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 Milin 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
Luggage Type | First Class | Business Class | Economy Class | Allowed Baggage Size |
---|---|---|---|---|
Allowed Carry-on Baggage | 5kg * 2 pieces | 5kg | 5kg | 55cm/20cm/40cm(L/B/H) |
Allowed Checked-in Baggage | 40kg | 30kg | 20kg | 100cm/60cm/40cm(L/B/H) |
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 Ngari from Lhasa with a child aging at 10 and the full price for the economy class is 2640 CNY, the ticket fare for the child is 1320 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 check in your flight at a counter in the airport.