Urumqi is the capital city of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is located in the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountain and “Urumqi” in Mongolian language means “beautiful pastures”. It is the furthermost city on the earth from the ocean and the geographical center of Asia. Many ethnic groups and different customs made the unique style of Urumqi. Urumqi has a mysterious sparkling blue glacier all year round with magnificent mountains and peaks, a green and smooth mirror like Tianchi lake, a colorful rainbow bay and a formidable wind-whipped “devil city”. Urumqi has endless gourmet from different ethnic groups, and the grapes and cantaloupes are sweet enough to melt your heart. As the only city in Xinjiang with direct flights to Lhasa, it is a good choice to enter Tibet from Urumqi, whether you are going to drive along the challenging new Xinzang line or just take a flight to enter Tibet. Urumqi air passengers will fly over the Tianshan Mountains, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Qilian Mountains, Hexi Corridor, Qaidam Basin, Tongtian River and other landscapes to Lhasa.
Information of Sichuan Airlines flight from Urumqi to Lhasa:
In addition to Urumqi, tourists to Lhasa can also fly directly to Tibet Ngari area (Gunsa Airport). There are not many cities have direct flights to Ngari. So flying directly from Urumqi to Gunsa Airport by Shiquan river, Ngari is a good choice for tourists with a tight schedule. Please refer to the Urumqi-Ngari flight information for details.
3. Notes:
1. The above flights information is for reference only, please contact us for the latest information on Urumqi-Lhasa flight.
2. In the Off-season, airlines will cut down the number of flights according to the number of tourists. If it is a low-season trip, please contact a travel consultant in advance to check the flight status of the day you travel. Urumqi Diwopu International Airport
Urumqi Airport got the name Diwopu from its location Diwopu which is at the northwest of Urumqi. The airport is of a large size with many domestic and international routes. There are three terminals and it is a busy airport. The terminal building is spacious and tidy, with complete facilities, clearly marked, and self-check-in machines. Because Xinjiang is a Uyghur autonomous region, the airport broadcasts and logos are in both Chinese and Uighur. The airport staff speaks fluent Mandarin. There are many posters of ethnic–group–unity in the airport. Air China arrives at T2, and the T3 terminal is mainly used by Southern Airlines. There is a free shuttle bus between T2 and T3. The T3 terminal is spacious with enough armchairs. The flights to Lhasa usually take off from the T2 terminal. The airport shops selling Xinjiang local products are filled with raisins, newly picked cantaloupes, boxed apricots, etc. The price of these products is a bit higher than that of the downtown stores, but the passengers’ purchase were not yet less. The restaurant serves local food such as Xinjiang beef noodles. Free water and paper cups are available at the airport. There are also many vending machines inside. You can use the free WIFI in the terminal building by entering the mobile phone number to obtain the verification code to connect it, and the speed of the network is normal. The security check at Urumqi airport is strict that every passenger is supposed to take off their shoes. Since many channels are open at the same time, it normally goes quickly.
Lhasa Gongga Airport Traffic Tips:
Lhasa Gongga Airport (IATA: LXA, ICAO: ZULS) is in Jiazhulin Town in Gongga County, Shannan District, Tibet Autonomous Region. It is located on the south bank of the magnificent Yalu Tsangpo River at an altitude of 3,600 meters. It is one of the highest civil airports in the world. The Gongga Airport is not very big. There are not many flights to and from the country. Unlike many airports with several terminals in the mainland cities, there is only one terminal building with one entrance and one exit in the Gongga Airport. You won’t get lost once you are at the Lhasa Gongga Airport，since you’ll have to take the only exit to be out.
Gongga Airport staff parks the airport bus about five meters away from the exit of the terminal building. There is a small pavilion on the left side of the airport terminal building, where sells was the shuttle bus ticket. The fare was 30 yuan. After purchasing the ticket, you can get on the shuttle bus to downtown Lhasa.
The starting stop of the Gongga Airport shuttle is the exit of the Gongga Airport Terminal. The terminal is the Civil Aviation Bureau at the foot of the Potala Palace.
If you take a taxi, it costs about 200 yuan (not by meter); if you share a taxi with others, it’s about 50 yuan per person.
Tibet Flight travel notes:
1. Foreign tourists need to take the required documents to depart Tibet
- Passport: The passport must be within the validity period. Whether you are flying or booking a flight on the way, you need to provide the original passport when you check in at the hotel or pass the security check. Therefore, please always keep your passport at hand.
- Chinese visa: Except for tourists from the within 15 days visa-free countries, foreigners from other countries are all required to provide a valid Chinese visa.
- Tibet Permit: When getting your boarding pass and passing the airport security check, the airport staff will always check your Tibet permit. So please make sure you have your Tibet Permit ready before you fly and bring the Permit to your tour guide in Lhasa.
2. How to book an air ticket to and from Tibet?
Most tourists now book flights online through some travel service websites such as Ctrip, Qunar, or Fliggy. You can also purchase tickets on the airline's official website or on. Our company provides ticket booking service as well. It is recommended to book your ticket one month in advance to have a fair price.
3. Besides Urumqi, which other cities can fly directly to Lhasa
Currently, many cities have direct flights to Lhasa, such as Chengdu, Xi'an, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shangri-La, etc.
4. In addition to Lhasa Gongga Airport, Which airports in Tibet can you travel to by plane?
There are five airports in Tibet. Besides Lhasa Gongga Airport, you can also fly directly from Shigatse, Nyingchi, Ngari and Chamdo. There are only a few flights to these four airports, and only a few cities have direct flights to Lhasa.
- Shigatse Peace Airport (IATA: RKZ, ICAO: ZURK): Currently only Chengdu has direct flights to Shigatse, there is one shift every day : Tibet Airlines TV9843 （07:05-09:30）. A one-way ticket costs 1900 yuan.
- Nyingchi Mainlin Airport: Currently there are direct flights from Chengdu and Chongqing to Nyingchi Mainlin Airport. There are about four flights from Chengdu to Nyingchi every morning between 6:00 and 09:00, and there are about 3 flights from Chongqing to Nyingchi. If you want to fly directly to Nyingchi, you can only transfer from these two cities.
-Chamdo Banda Airport: Both Chengdu and Chongqing have a daily flight to Chamdo, There are only a few tourists go to Chamdo since it is not a tourist attraction in Tibet.
- Ngari Gunsa Airport: Every Friday, There is a flight Lucky Air 8L9681 (07:20-11:35) from Urumqi to Ngari via Kashgar.
5. Baggage
6. Do children have discounts on ticket purchase?
A baby ticket for Infant under two years old (based on the date of departure) is at 10% of the regular adult fare. Children who are 2 years old or older to under 12 years (based on the date of departure) will be entitled to a seat at 50% of the regular adult fare for the same flight. When purchasing a child ticket, you should provide the children and babies’ valid documents such as birth certificate and residence booklet. When purchasing a baby or child ticket, the identity information needs to be attached to the accompanying adult.
7. How to get your boarding pass after purchasing a ticket online?
At present, once purchasing a ticket online, the passengers can get the boarding pass by presenting the valid documents used to book the ticket at the airport service counter. Foreigners who are flying to Tibet, should also present the valid ID documents and the Tibet Permit to check-in.
Anyone who books a tour with us is enabled to purchase discount tickets from Lhasa to Urumqi through our agency. The discount varies from 10 to 50% depending on the different time of the year. For detailed discount information, please contact our travel consultants for specific discounts information on flights to Lhasa.
Last Updated: December 4th, 2019
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