Qamdo Bangda Airport - Facts, Flights, Transfer and Tips

About Qamdo Bangda Airport

Domestic Flights to Qamdo

Until now, Qamdo Bangda Airport only has opened 7 flights routes to about 6 cities in China, including Lhasa, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian, Shenzhen and Tianjin. Among them, Chengdu and Chongqing are the most popular hubs to Qamdo Tibet with only 2 hours' flight and more frequent schedule. Air tickets to/off Qamdo are difficult to get during peak tourist time, so it is better to book the ticket early. Besides, the ticket price of going to Qamdo is much higher than to other airports in Tibet due to few flights schedules, tough flying conditions and huge costs on the relevant facilities.

Lhasa Qamdo Flights

Lhasa is located in the center of Tibet, about 1,100km to the northeast of Qamdo. Dirving to Qamdo from Lhasa needs nearly 3 days in both 2 routes. One is going north through the National Highwat G317 and G109, passing Nagqu along the way. The other, also the south line, is through National Highway G214 and G318 with more beautiful scenery in Nyingchi to enjoy.

A direct flight between Qamdo and Lhasa is in operation every day. Tourists can get to Qamdo area from Lhasa within 1.5h. It’s more time-saving and convenient than driving. Still if you are planning a Lhasa travel from Qamdo, you can go to holy city Lhasa by plane. Since Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the largest and most important airport in Tibet, it links Lhasa with many domestic cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Chengdu, and the attractive international destination, Kathmandu in Nepal. You have more choice to spread your China tour or Nepal travel.

Qamdo to Lhasa Flight

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
TV9850 Tibet Airlines	10:20 Qamdo Bangda Airport		11:45 Lhasa Gonggar Airport	1h 25m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	1510 ￥ Economy Class

Lhasa to Qamdo Flight

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
TV9849 Tibet Airlines	07:50 Lhasa Gonggar Airport		09:05 Qamdo Bangda Airport	1h 15m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	1510 ￥ Economy Class

Chengdu Qamdo Flights

As the most important gateway to Tibet, Chengdu operates more than 30 flights between Chengdu and Lhasa, Nyingchi, Shigatse and Qamdo. Usually, Chengdu opens more frequent routes to Tibet than cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Xian, and it has many routes to international cities, like London, Paris, L.A, and popular Asian destinations. There are about 7 direct flights from Chengdu to Qamdo and 3 from Qamdo to Chengdu. The flights takes about 1.5h with a flying distance of 769km. All the flights depart in the morning.

Chengdu to Qamdo Flight

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
CA4407 Air China	06:20 Chengdu Shuangliu Airport T2		07:50 Qamdo Bangda Airport	1h 25m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	4130 ￥ First Class

Qamdo to Chengdu Flight

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
CA4408 Air China	08:40 Qamdo Bangda Airport		10:05 Chengdu Shuangliu Airport T2	1h 25m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	4130 ￥ First Class

Chongqing Qamdo Flights

The national hub airport in Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport operates over 300 flight routes to domestic and international destinations. You can transfer in Chongqing to other cities in China or fly back to your home country. Except for Chengdu, the gateway city Chongqing also has lots of flights to Tibet. At present in May, 2020, there are about 3-4 daily flights from Chongqing to Qamdo and the other way around with a duration of about 2h.

Chongqing to Qamdo Flight

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
TV9908 Tibet Airlines	07:15 Chongqing Jiangbei Airport		09:10 Qamdo Bangda Airport	1h 55m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	1550 ￥ Economy Class

Qamdo to Chongqing Flight

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
TV9907 Tibet Airlines	10:00 Qamdo Bangda Airport		11:55 Chongqing Jiangbei Airport	1h 55m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	1550 ￥ Economy Class

Other Qamdo Flights Schedules

Qamdao - Tianjin

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
TV9907 Tibet Airlines	10:00 Qamdo Bangda Airport		16:30 Tianjin Binhai Airport T2	6h 30m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	3050 ￥ Economy Class

Qamdao - Xian

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
TV6054 Tibet Airlines	9:40 Qamdo Bangda Airport		11:50 Xianyang International Airport T2	2h 10m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	1660 ￥ Economy Class

Qamdao - Shenzhen

Flight No.	Departure -- Arrival			Duration	Frequency	Plane	Full Price
TV6054 Tibet Airlines	9:55 Qamdo Bangda Airport		16:30 Baoan International Airport T3	6h 35m	SMTWTFS	Airbus A319	1660 ￥ Economy Class

Important Notice: 1) Above flight schedules and fares are only for reference, please contact us to catch up with the latest information; 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 Qamdo Bangda Airport

The Qamdo Town is over 1,300 km to Lhasa or Chengdu, about several days to bump down those rugged mountain paths. It is 136km far from the Qamdo Bangda Airport to the nearest Qamdo Town, making the airport the farthest civil airport to city center in China.

Tourists need to take a 3h ride by taxi, costing about 250 - 300 CNY. Also there are airport shuttle buses you can take, pricing at 60CNY around. Coaches between Lhasa and Qamdo, Chengdu and Qamdo are irregular costing around 3 - 6 days in total. Because the less developed transportation, scenic spots in Qamdo are far from each other. Be preparing for some long distance ride when you tour in Qamdo area.

Tibet Travel Permit and Flight Travel

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 Pass.

6. What else airport I can fly to except for Qamdo Bangda Airport?

Tibet has five airports in total. Besides Qamdo Bangda 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.

- 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.

- 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 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.