Best Tibet Airlines

In the past time, Tibet is a remote place with terrible transportation conditions which has improved a lot in recent years for the tremendous economic growth in China. With the construction of railways, highways and airlines in Tibet now, and people who want to visit Tibet can get there easily no matter you are from home or abroad.

Until 2015, there are 5 airports have been built in Tibet, including Lhasa Gonggar Airport, Chamdo Bangda Airport, Nyingchi Milin Airport, Nagri Gansa Airport and Shigatse Peace Airport. Meanwhile, to offer tourists an easily accessible way to get to Tibet, there are more and more airlines providing frequent flights connecting with major cities every day. Among these airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Tibet Airlines, Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines are the best airlines to Tibet, offering professional and excellent aviation service.

Air China

Air China, is a part of Star Alliance Airlines, also the only one airline company to run Tibet flights in old days, is the largest state-owned aviation company in mainland China, was founded and started operating in 1988, and its flight operations are based at Beijing Capital International Airport.  If you intend to travel to Tibet by air, Air China offers flights from Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Kathmandu, etc. The logo of Air China is a phoenix and an artistic transformation of the English "VIP". The color is traditional Chinese red, which means auspiciousness, completeness, peace, and happiness. It embodies Air China's sincere feelings and the eternal pursuit of safety.

Tibet Airlines

Tibet Airlines, as the first high plateau aviation airline company in China, is approved by CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China). Based at Lhasa Gongga Airport, Tibet Airlines is founded and commenced operations in 2011 and offers flights to several cities in Tibet such as Shigatse, Ningchi, Chamdo, in addition to flights to Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining, and Lanzhou. The originality of the logo comes from the unique elements of Tibetan culture — khata and prayer flags. It can also be seen as a rainbow, meaning an air bridge erected on the roof of the world.

Sichuan Airlines

Sichuan Airlines is a regional airline headquartered on the grounds of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, operating mainly scheduled domestic flights from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Kunming Changshui International Airport, etc. There are more than 20 flights from Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming and Xi’an to Tibet every day.  The emblem of Sichuan Airlines is a petrel, which flies hard. The circle represents the earth, and the four-wave patterns imply that hundreds of rivers go to the sea. It implies the Chinese philosophy that the greatest benevolence is like water, the highest virtue tolerates all.

China Eastern Airlines

China Eastern Airlines, based at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, is China's second-largest carrier by passenger numbers and was founded in 1957. China Eastern Airlines is the first Chinese airline to place an order with Airbus, and the backbone of the fleet is the A320 series, which are used primarily on domestic flights. If you intend to travel to Tibet by air, China Eastern Airlines provides flights from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Chongqing and Kunming to Lhasa or Urumqi to Ngari. The emblem of China Eastern Airlines is a swallow. The swallow's head and wings reflect the crimson glow of the sunrise, referring to rising hope, excellence, and passion; the curved tail reflects the blue of the sea which means all rivers run into the sea, referring to broadness, tolerance and rationality.

China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines, headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, is established in 1988 and based at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport. China Southern Airlines is the sixth-largest airline measured by passengers carried in the world and the largest airline in fleet size, revenue and passengers carried in Asia. China Southern Airlines provides scheduled flights from Guangzhou to Lhasa.  The emblem of China Southern Airlines is kapok, which is a unique flower in southern China. Kapok symbolizes noble personality and is also the city flower of Guangzhou.

Notes:

  1. China's "Big Three" airlines: Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines.
  2. Tibet travel is pretty popular and the demands for tickets are large, so if you have an idea to travel in Tibet, please confirm your trip at least 3-5 months before your departure date.
  3. Flying to Tibet may cause acute altitude sickness, once you arrive in Tibet, you’d better take a good rest.

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