Air Travel

In line with the government's ambitious infrastructure plans for Tibet, there are now four airports, with another two due to open by the end of 2011. One of these, in Nagqu, will be the world's highest airport, at an altitude of 4,436 meters (14,500 ft). Currently, 16 domestic airlines fly into Gongga Airport, about 95 kilometers from Lhasa, connecting Tibet with most major Chinese cities, including Hong Kong. The airport is renowned for having terrible facilities and humorless guards, so don't expect much. Tibet also has smaller airports in Chamdo, Nyingchi, and Ngari prefectures. These have frequent flights to Lhasa and less frequent flights to other nearby Chinese cities. Security on flights bound for Lhasa is much tighter than on other internal flights—expect to be thoroughly searched.