Nyingchi Mainling Airport - Facts, Flights, Transfer and Tips

Overview of Nyingchi Mainling Airport

Nyingchi Mainling Airport, also called Nyingchi Airport or Linzhi Airport, is the third civil aviation airport after Lhasa Gonggar Airport and Qamdo Bangda Airport. The construction of Nyingchi Airport started in October 2003 and it was put into operation in the end of 2005. As one of the most difficult airports to reach, Nyingchi Mainling Airport has been equipped with advanced facilities to ensure the safety, like especially-designed Navigation Aid, Lightning Protection Facilities and auxiliary facilities of architecture.

Nyingchi Mainling Airport is connected with over 10 cities in China such as Chengdu, Chongqing and Guangzhou. Taking these flights allows you to have an unforgettable view. Nyingchi is an attractive prefecture in Tibet with breathtaking natural landscape of snowcapped peaks, the sea of peach flowers (fully-bloomed on March), and Yarlung Zangbo River view. As the aircrafts reaches the sky above Nyingchi, you can see the beautiful scenery clearly from the windows.

How Challenging for Nyingchi Mainling Airport to Operate Flight

The altitude of Nyingchi Mainling Airport is 2,949 meters, which makes it the lowest airport in Tibet. However, Nyingchi Mainling Airport is surrounded by lofty mountains and high ranges which are over 4,000 meters above the sea level. Because the air route is rather narrow and winding, the automatic alarm might be triggered and the signal from navigation aid might be interfered easily. For such an airport, it is really challenging for the planes to take off or land on. From 14:00 to 18:00, the wind speed becomes 27m/s, far higher than the airworthiness standard for Boeing 757 airbus. Therefore, all planes have to take off or land in the morning. To operate the flights to/off Nyingchi Airport, the flight crew must have excellent psychological quality and superior technological skill to make sure that every turn and altitude variation be exactly accurate.

★ Recommended Nyingchi Tours:

☞ 7 Days Tibet "Switzerland Views" Tour (Lhasa - Nyingchi)

☞ 8 Days Nyingchi Peach Blossom Festival Tour

Airplane Landing on Linzhi Airport

Spectacular River Veiw from the Airplane

Bright Snow Peaks Seen from Airplane

Domestic Flights to/off Nyingchi Mainling Airport

Currently, Nyingchi Mainling Airport is directly connected with 3 cities in China, including Chengdu, Chongqing and Guangzhou. During peak seasons (May - October), there are daily flights to Nyingchi from Chengdu and Chongqing. Flights between Guangzhou and Nyingchi are only available on Monday and Friday.

Chengdu Nyingchi Flights

As the most popular gateway city to Tibet, Chengdu operates daily flights to Lhasa, Shigatse, Qamdo and Nyingchi. There are about 10 daily nonstop flights from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Nyingchi Mainling Airport over 1190km (739 miles), taking about 2hrs . The flights might be cut down on off seasons. If you aim to travel from other parts of China to Nyingchi, it is suggested to book a flight from Chengdu. Because you can get to Chengdu conveniently from many international cities like Amsterdam, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Frankfurt, London, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore, etc. as well as all major cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin and so on. In addition, Chengdu operates the most frequent flights to Nyingchi.

Chengdu to Nyingchi Flights

Nyingchi to Chengdu Flights

Chongqing Nyingchi Flights

As one of the four municipalities directly under the central government, Chongqing is well developed with convenient transportation. There are many international flights and domestic flights to Chongqing. Besides Chengdu, Chongqing is also a good gateway city to Tibet. It provides about 10 flights to Tibet. There are 7 nonstop flights from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport to Nyingchi Mainling Airport. The whole trip takes about 2.5 hours over 1446 kilometers (899 miles).

Chongqing to Nyingchi Flights

Nyingchi to Chongqing Flights

Guangzhou Nyingchi Flights

Guangzhou is a hot international arrival hub in southeastern China. It is very convenient to take an international flight to Guangzhou from around the world. Most people also like to travel from Hong Kong which is quite close to Guangzhou. Guangzhou provides both train and flights to Tibet. There is one nonstop flight from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport to Nyingchi Mainling Airport every Monday and Friday. Within 4 hours, you can travel to picturesque Nyingchi from metropolis Guangzhou.

Guangzhou to Nyingchi Flight

Nyingchi to Guangzhou

Important Notice: 1) Above flight schedules and fares are only for reference, please contact us to catch up with 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.

Transfer to/off Nyingchi Mainling 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 original permit to you by post.

> Learn more detail about Tibet Travel Permit Application

Military Permit

Visiting Nyingchi (Draksumtso, Pomi etc.), only the Tibet Travel Permit is 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 Nyingchi.

>> Learn more detail about Military Permit

Tibet Travel Permit

Tibet Military Permit

Useful Notes on Tibet Flight Travel

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

- 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.

- 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.

- Original Tibet Travel Permit will be checked when you board your plane at the airports.

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 usually gets 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 Xian 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. What are the most popular gateway cities to fly to Tibet?

Currently Chengdu, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Chongqing, Kunming, Shangri-La are mostly used by travelers as gateway hubs to fly to Tibet.

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, Tibet Travel Permit and Tibet Border Permit.

6. What else airport I can fly to except for Nyingchi Mainling Airport?

Tibet has five airports in total. Besides Nyingchi Mainling Airport, you can also take a flight to Lhasa, Shigatse, 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.

- 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 the full price for the economy class is 1680 CNY, the ticket fare for the child is 840 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 it into a paper ticket when you check in your flight at a counter in the airport.