Nyingchi Mainling Airport

Nyingchi Mainling Airport - Facts, Flights, Transfer and Tips

About Nyingchi Mainlingr International Airport

Nyingchi Mainling Airport, also called Nyingchi Airport and Linzhi Airport, is the third civil aviation airport after Lhasa Gonggar Airport and Qamdo Bangda Airport. The construction of Nyingchi Airport was started in the October of 2003 and it began operating in the end of 2005. As one of the most difficult airports for aircraft to reach, Nyingchi Mainling Airport has been equipped with advanced facilities to ensure the safety, like especially-designed Navigation Aid, Lightning Protection Facilities, auxiliary facilities of architecture.

Nyingchi Mainling Airport is directly connected with four cities (Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Lhasa) at present, and taking these flights allows you to have an unforgettable view. Nyingchi is an attractive prefecture in Tibet with its breathtaking natural landscape of snowcapped peaks, the sea of peach flowers (fully-bloomed on March), and Yarlung Zangbo River view. As the aircrafts reaches the sky above Nyingchi, you can see the beautiful scenery clearly from the windows.

How Challenging for Nyingchi Mainling Airport to Operate Flight

The altitude of Nyingchi Mainling Airport is 2,949 meters, which makes it the lowest airport in Tibet. However, Nyingchi Mainling Airport is surrounded by the lofty mountains and high ranges which are over 4,000 meters high above the sea level. Because the air route is rather narrow and winding, the automatic alarm might be triggered and the signal from navigation aid might be interfered easily. For such an airport, it is really challenging for the planes to take off or land on. From 14:00 to 18:00, the wind speed becomes 27m/s, far higher than the airworthiness standard for Boeing 757 airbus. Therefore, all planes have to take off or land on in the morning time. To operate the flights to/off Nyingchi Airport, the flight crew must have excellent psychological quality and superior technological skill to make sure that very turn and every altitude variation be exactly accurate.

Transfer to/off Nyingchi Mainling Airport

Nyingchi Mainling Airport is about 50km from Nyingchi downtown, and 18km from Milin County. There are two shuttle buses starting from Milin County to the airport at 7:20 and 7:40. The ticket fare is about 25 CNY and the journey takes about half an hour. There are available taxis which cost about 150 RMB from Nyingchi Airport to Bayi Town.

Travel Tibet China also provides you convenient and comfortable airport pick-up and drop-off services which are usually included in our Tibet tour packages. If you take our group tours, you will enjoy our free airport pick-up and drop-off services.

Tibet Travel Permit and Flight Travel

A Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Entry Permit) is the MUST-DOCUMENT to take a flight to Tibet. It is firstly needed to book flight at the airport. When you check in and check out the airports, the original Tibet Travel Permit also will be checked. Please remember to duplicate at least 3 copies of Tibet Travel Permit because the permits are required for many occasions. The permit can only be issued in Tibet by the Tibet Tourism Bureau, and also can be only applied by travel agency behalf of travelers. It needs about 15~20 days to obtain the permit.

How to Apply for Tibet Travel Permit

1. Contact us to work out and confirm an itinerary in Tibet;

2. Send us the scanned copies of your passport, and provide an available address in China(hotel or local agency) to receive your permit;

3. We apply for the Tibet Travel Permit from Tibet Tourism Bureau in Lhasa;

4. Once the permit is issued, we will send the original permit to you by post.

> Learn more detail about Tibet Travel Permit Application

Military Permit

Visiting Nyingchi (Draksumtso, Pomi etc.), only the Tibet Travel Permit is not enough, and Military Permit is also a must. Military Permit is issued by the Military office in Lhasa, and can only be obtained by travel agency as well. Because of the long procedure to get this permit, you should provide your scanning copy of valid passport and visa to us at least 20 days before you leaving for Nyingchi.

Useful Notes on Tibet Flight Travel

1. 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 is usuall 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.

2. Apart from Chengdu, where can I flee?

Apart from Chengdu, you can fly to Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Kunming, Shanghai, Shangri-la etc.

3. International flights from Tibet

So far, there is only one international air line connecting Lhasa: Lhasa - Kathmandu. 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 Lhasa - Kathmandu flights. To take a flight from Lhasa to Kathmandu.

4. What else airport, apart Nyingchi Mainlingr International Airport?

Tibet has five airports in total. Besides Nyingchi Mainlingr Airport, you can also take a flight to Shigatse, Nyingchi, Ngari and Qamdo. But only certain cities in China operate flights to these smaller cities.

- 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 Milin 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.

- Qamdo - Both Chongqing and Chengdu operate a daily flight to Qamdo in Tibet. But there are few travelers have chosen this line because Qamdo is not a popular tourist destination in Tibet.

- 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.

5. The regulation on the luggage allowance on the plane

6. 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 1850 CNY, the ticket fare for the child is 940 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.

7. 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 a paper ticket when you checking in your flight at a counter in the airport.