One can either take plane or train to travel to Tibet, because of the limited availability, high service charge and long hours, more and more travellers give up train and choose to travel to Tibet by plane instead. Travel to Tibet by air is faster and easier. And sometimes, especially during peaking seasons of summer, it is even cheaper than train.
At the moment, there are more than 18 cities in China you can choose as the gateway to take a direct flight to Tibet, such as Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Kunming, Shagari-la (Diqin), etc. There is also an international direct flight from Kathmandu, Nepal to Lhasa, which is the only international flight in Tibet. If you book connecting flights to Tibet, eg. Singapore to Chengdu, then Chengdu to Lhasa, please make sure there are about 3 hours of transition time in between the flights.
Below are the cities, which most travellers choose as the gateway cities to take planes to Tibet.

Popular Plane to Tibet: from Chengdu to Lhasa
Chengdu is one of the most popular choice among travellers. There are many planes available daily from Chengdu to Lhasa. In peak season of summer, there are about 14 planes fly from Chengdu to Lhasa at the different times of a day. These planes are mainly run by Sichuan Airlines, Tibet Airlines, Air China, and China Eastern Airlines. The plane takes about 2 hours and a half from Chengdu to Lhasa. At the time of writing, the full price is 1790 + tax 60= RMB 1850.
Popular Plane to Tibet: from Chongqing to Lhasa
Chongqing is also a favourite gateway city among travellers. There are many flights available daily from Chongqing to Lhasa. These planes are mainly run by Sichuan Airlines, Tibet Airlines, Air China, and China Eastern Airlines. The plane takes about 3 hours from Chongqing to Lhasa. At the time of writing, the full price is 1890 + tax 60= RMB 1950 for economy class.
Popular Plane to Tibet: from Xi’an to Lhasa
Before, most travellers would prefer to take train from Xi’an to Lhasa. But after realized that the limited availability of the sleeper train tickets, the high service charge, the uncertainty until last minute, more and more travellers give up the idea but to take the plane from Xi’an to Lhasa instead. There are many flights available daily from Xi’an to Lhasa. The plane takes about 3 hours from Xi’an to Lhasa. At the time of writing, the full price is 2160 + tax 60= RMB 2220 for economy class.
Popular Plane to Tibet: from Kathmandu to Lhasa
As the ONLY international plane of Tibet, the plane from Kathmandu to Lhasa is very popular among travellers. As the moment, there are two airlines: Air China & Sichuan Airlines. The plane from Kathmandu to Lhasa takes one hour and a half. The price is usually about USD 210 or so with tax fee included.
For more information about tour of Tibet, please contact us by email to inquiry@tibettravelexpert.com.