Lhasa Transportation- By Air

At present, there is only one airport in Lhasa serving passengers, Lhasa Gonggar International Airport. Lhasa is the gateway city of Tibet tour. Every year from May to October is the tourist season, it is best to buy round-trip ticket in advance when arranging the trip. Most foreign tourists choose to fly to Lhasa. Chengdu, Beijing, Xi’an, Chongqing and Xining are all starting points.

Lhasa Gonggar International Airport

Lhasa Gonggar airport, located in Jiazhulin town of Gonggar county, Shannan, Tibet, about 85 kilometers away from Lhasa city center, is a 4E military and civilian international airport, one of the highest airports in the world and the largest aviation hub in Tibet autonomous region. It is located on the south bank of the magnificent Yarlung Zangbo river, with an altitude of 3600 meters. The runway is 4000 meters long and 45 meters wide.

Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the most popular and significant airport in Tibet that connects the major cities in China, such as Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shangri-La, etc. The flights to some prefectures in Tibet are also available, such as Nyingchi, Ngari and Qamdo. What’s more, international flights mainly head for Kathmandu.

Lhasa Gonggar International Airport Useful Numbers

Airport General Information Desk: 0891-6246465
VIP Room: 0891-6246494/6246495/6246496
Complaints Hotlines: 0891-6508316
Emergency Center: 0891-6246015
Lost anf Found: 0891-6246491/6246453

Airport Transportation

Airport Shuttle Bus

Routes	Duration	Distance	Ticket Price
Airport- Potala Palace	About 1 hour	67 kilometers	25 yuan

Notes: According to the official website of China Eastern airlines in July 2019, tourists to Lhasa city center can wait the shuttle bus at the gate of arrival hall, and the departure time of the first and last bus at the airport is determined according to the flight situation. Shuttle bus from Lhasa City center to airport departs every 30 minutes.

Airport Expressway

Lhasa airport expressway or the freeway from Lhasa city to Gonggar airport is the first expressway in Tibet. The airport freeway construction was started on April 28, 2009, and the 37.8 kilometers route engineering fully invested 1.59 billion yuan by the country. The journey time from the downtown of Lhasa to Gonggar airport was shortened by half an hour, and the highway mileage was effectively shortened by 20 kilometers. On July 17, 2011, the airport expressway opened to traffic.