Taking a flight from Chengdu to Lhasa is the quickest and the most convenient way to get from mainland China to Tibet by plane. Compared to flights from other major cities in China, flights from Chengdu to Tibetan destinations are the cheapest as well. Chengdu Airport also offers the convenience of multiple daily flights, while flights from other cities typically take off either in the morning or in the evening. Finally, if your layover in Chengdu is long enough, you may wish to see Giant Pandas and visit the most laid-back city of China.

Chengdu to/from Lhasa Flights

Chengdu to Lhasa Flight Schedule

The entire flight from Chengdu to Lhasa takes about 2:10 hours, covering the distance of 1,257 kilometers. Being the most important airline gateway to Tibet, Chengdu Airport handles the majority of direct flights to Lhasa. Accordingly, the airport of Chengdu receives the largest number of regular flights from Lhasa compared to other cities in the country. More so, airlines traveling from other Chinese destinations to Tibet are likely to fly via Chengdu.

Chengdu operates the most frequent daily non-stop flights to Lhasa.

The major airlines connecting Chengdu and Lhasa are Air China and Sichuan Airlines. Tibet Airlines, Xiangpeng Air and China Southern Airlines are some other airlines connecting the provincial capital of Sichuan and Tibet. There are currently two airports in Chengdu, namely Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in Jianyang. Shuangliu Airport is located in the northern part of Shuangliu District, about 16 kilometers southwest of the central urban area, while Tianfu Airport is 51 kilometers from the center of Chengdu and 50 kilometers from Shuangliu Airport. Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the main airport in Tibet, located about 60km/37mi from the city of Lhasa.

In general, the lowest flight fares between these destinations are around CNY 440. Flight deals are most expensive during the high season and national holidays, exceeding CNY 2590.

Chengdu to Lhasa Flight Schedule

Dep. - Arr.	Flight No.	Air Line	Frequency
06:20 – 08:30	CA3931	Air China	Daily
06:40 – 09:10	CA4403	Air China	Mon, Fri
6:00 – 8:15	TV9803	Tibet Airlines	Daily
07:15 – 09:55	CZ1472	Southern Airlines	Daily
07:30 – 09:45	3U8691	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
07:35 – 09:55	8L9643	Xiangpeng Airlines	Daily
07:50 – 10:20	CA4401	Air China	Daily
08:00 – 10:25	3U6631	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
08:05 – 10:55	EU1949	Chengdu Airlines	Daily
09:00 – 11:10	TV9823	Tibet Airlines	Daily
11:30 – 13:55	3U6635	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
11:45 – 14:30	CA2763	Air China	Daily
12:55 – 15:20	CA4447	Air China	Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun
13:10 – 15:25	TV9819	Tibet Airlines	Daily
14:05 – 16:25	MU5825	Eastern Airlines	Daily
14:10 – 16:40	CA2531	Air China	Daily
15:00 – 17:15	3U8695	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
15:15 – 17:45	CA4405	Air China	Daily
15:20 – 17:40	8L9675	Xiangpeng Airlines	Daily
15:40 – 17:50	CA3949	Air China	Daily
16:00 – 18:30	3U6637	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
16:30 – 18:40	CZ9539	Southern Airlines	Daily
19:00 – 21:20	TV9882	Tibet Airlines	Daily
20:15 – 22:30	TV9932	Tibet Airlines	Daily

Lhasa to Chengdu Flight Schedule

The flight fares soar during high tourist season and national holidays. Flight times are around two hours. About 20 departures commonly take off from Lhasa Gonggar Airport daily.

Lhasa to Chengdu Flight Schedule

Dep. - Arr.	Flight No.	Air Line	Frequency
08:10 – 10:10	TV9931	Tibet Airlines	Daily
09:35 – 11:40	TV9881	Tibet Airlines	Daily
10:00 – 12:10	EU1836	Chengdu Airlines	Daily
10:05 – 12:00	TV9804	Tibet Airlines	Daily
10:50 – 12:55	3U8692	Sichuan Airlines	Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
11:25 – 13:40	CZ4906	China Southern Airlines	Daily
11:30 – 13:40	3U6632	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
11:45 – 14:00	8L9644	Xiangpeng Air	Daily
12:30 – 14:25	TV9824	Tibet Airlines	Daily
14:45 – 17:10	CA2538	Air China	Daily
15:00 – 17:00	3U6636	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
15:35 – 17:45	CA2764	Air China	Daily
16:25 – 18:35	CA4448	Air China	Daily
16:45 – 19:05	EU1956	Chengdu Airlines	Daily
17:25 – 19:30	TV9820	Tibet Airlines	Daily
18:20 – 20:30	3U6696	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
18:45 – 20:50	EU1950	Chengdu Airlines	Daily
18:55 – 20:55	TV9846	Tibet Airlines	Daily
19:10 – 21:30	8L9676	Xiangpeng Airlines	Daily
19:15 – 21:25	EU2742	Chengdu Airlines	Daily
19:35 – 21:45	3U6638	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
20:20 – 23:00	TV9804	Tibet Airlines	Tue, Thu, Sat

Introduction of Airports in Chengdu

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is among main Chinese airline hubs. Except for South America, you have direct flights to Chengdu from every other continent. Direct flights to the provincial capital of Sichuan are available from Rome, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, and Sydney among many other long-haul destinations. Chengdu exchanges direct flights with various Asian destinations, including Manila, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo. You can also fly to Chengdu from many cities in China, some of which are Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Changsha.

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is the main airline hub for flights to Tibet.

Shuangliu Airport has two terminals. If you have a long layover at the airport, tour its shops, dine at eateries serving Chinese and international dishes or surf the web by courtesy of a free Wi-Fi. For visiting the city, which is some 15 km/9 mi away, take metro line 10. This affordable means of transport is the most convenient option considering possible traffic jams in Chengdu. To visit the Great Panda Breeding and Research Center, take off from metro 10 at the Taipingyuan station, catch metro 3, and take off at Dong Wu Yuan Station.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport is the base airport for Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Zhejiang Loong Airlines, Xiangpeng Air, Jixiang Airlines and China United Airlines. In the summer and autumn flight season of 2023, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport has increased significantly compared with the previous flight season, with uniform coverage throughout the day, and new direct flight destinations Xi'an and Altay have been added, with a total of 7 flight destinations in Sichuan Province; in the international market, more than 30 international and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan passenger routes have been opened, connecting North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, as well as the Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and other Asian regions.

Lhasa Gonggar International Airport

Lhasa Gonggar International Airport is the most important airline hub in Tibet. Located some 60 km/37 mi south of Lhasa, the airport features shopping malls, hotels, and restaurants. Buses and taxis provide transfers to the Tibet's provincial capital city. Buses typically travel around an hour, while taxis need about 45 minutes to cover the distance. But, if you book a Tibet tour via us, a specialized travel agency for private and group Tibet tours, you benefit from free transfers to the city and back to the airport.

Additional Chengdu to Tibet Flights

There are two other operating airports in Tibet. These are Nyingchi and Shigatse. Fly to Nyingchi if you wish to visit heavenly Basum-tso Lake, Lulang Forest or Midui Glacier. Travel to Shigatse to visit Mount Everest, Tashilhunpo Monastery, and Gama Valley.

Chengdu to Nyingchi Flights

Direct flights are available from Chengdu to Nyingchi, a city located in the eastern Tibet. There are usually 4 daily direct flights departing from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Nyingchi Mainling Airport. These take off in the morning from 06:55 am to 10:25 am and spend around two hours in the air, with the last plane arriving in Nyingchi at 12:35 pm. The returning flights from Nyingchi to Chengdu depart in the late morning, commonly from 10:00 am to 13:25 pm. The flight time is about two hours, and the last flights usually arrives in Nyingchi before 15:30 pm.

Chengdu to Nyingchi Flight Schedule

Dep. - Arr.	Flight No.	AirLine	Frequency
06:55 – 09:00	3U8627	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
07:25 – 09:20	CA3951	Air China	Daily
09:30 – 11:25	CA5589	Air China	Tue, Thu, Sat
10:25 – 12:35	3U8629	Sichuan Airlines	Daily

Nyingchi to Chengdu Flight Schedule

Dep. - Arr.	Flight No.	AirLine	Frequency
10:00 – 12:00	3U8628	Sichuan Airlines	Daily
10:00 – 11:40	CA3952	Air China	Daily
12:05 – 14:00	EU7940	Chengdu Airlines	Tue, Thu, Sat
13:25 – 15:30	3U8630	Sichuan Airlines	Daily

Chengdu to Shigatse Flights

There is two daily flights from Chengdu to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. The plane leaves Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport around 06:10 am and 10:55 am; arrives in Shigatse Peace Airport around 08:30 am and 13:20 pm. The flight back departs Shigatse at midday and lands at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport around mid-afternoon. Flights usually last around 2:30 hours.

Chengdu to Shigatse Flight Schedule

Dep. - Arr.	Flight No.	AirLine	Frequency
06:10 – 08:30	CA3969	Air China	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
10:55 – 13:20	CA5581	Air China	Tue, Thu, Sat

Shigatse to Chengdu Flight Schedule

Dep. - Arr.	Flight No.	AirLine	Frequency
10:00 – 12:25	CA3970	Air China	Mon, Tue, Fri, Sun
14:50 – 17:15	CA5582	Air China	Tue, Thu, Sat

Travel Documents Required to Take a Chengdu to Lhasa Flight

If you are a foreign traveler, you need a valid passport, the Chinese Visa and Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Visa) to check yourself in at the airport. Tibet travel permit allows you to enter and tour the autonomous region. In fact, whether you tour Tibet by flight or train, only you have the Travel permit can you enter Tibet.

The only way to apply for the permit is via a Tibet travel agency. The document should be applied through your passport and China Visa, and you should apply for it at least a few weeks before the intended trip. With years of experiences, we can help to apply for your Tibet permit on behalf of you, and deliver it to your hotel in Chengdu before your departure.

If you wish to travel out of Lhasa and visit Shigatse, Mt. Everest or Mt. Kailash, you need to apply for Aliens’ Travel Permit and Military Permit. You don't need these permits to board a flight to Tibet. While you may receive the Aliens Permit on the same day, apply for the Military Permit at least three weeks in advance. Your Tibet guide can help to apply for these documents when you arrive in Tibet.

Conclusion

With many daily departures, most affordable deals, and the shortest flight times, flying from Chengdu to Tibet is the best flight option. Before you start a trip, though, make necessary arrangements with a specialized and trustworthy agency, such as Tibettour.org, which will make sure that everything goes well.