Air Line Information
Qamdo, located in the eastern Tibet, was a key position of “the Ancient Tea Horse Road” and currently is the portal to Tibet from Sichuan and Yunnan. Every day Tibet Airlines offers a non-stop flight between Lhasa and Qamdo. Also Qamdo is connected with Chengdu, Chongqing, Tianjin and Anhui Fuyang. You can explore more destinations apart from Lhasa.
Distance: 444 miles (715km)
Flying Duration: about 1h15mins
Major Airline: Tibet Airlines
Frequency: 1 direct flight per day
Flight Type: non-stop flight
Ticket Full Price: 1510 CNY (economy class)
Airports: Lhasa Gonggar International Airport (LXA) – Qamdo Bangda Airport (BPX)
Why Take Flight to Lhasa from Qamdo
1. For inner Tibet tour, Tibet Airlines provide a daily direct flight from Lhasa to Qamdo and opposite travel route. Therefore, one can choose to explore more Tibetan destinations except Lhasa and its surrounding areas.
2. It takes about 3 days riding to Qamdo from Lhasa with long distance of more than 1,300 km by coach. Although the bus ticket price is around 280 CNY, much cheaper than Lhasa Qamdo Flight, some tourists may think it’s too tedious and painful spending several days on the way.
3. Qamdo is located in east Tibet and close to Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan Province. There are many distinctive scenic spots, e.g. the first Tibetan Buddhism Gelug monastery – Galden Jampaling Monastery, beautiful Ranwu Lake, the ancestral temple of Kagyu Buddhism.
4. Lhasa is well connected with main domestic destinations, like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian, etc; also Qamdo has flights to Chengdu, Chongqing, Tianjin and Fuyang. The link of Lhasa and Qamdo offers more flights options to other cities in China. Further going to Kathmandu Nepal from Lhasa is attainable too.
Lhasa Qamdo Flights Schedules
Generally, there are 8-10 Lhasa to Qamdo flights every day. Most are connecting flights of 2 airline companies. If you take the connecting flights, you will transfer flights in Chengdu / Chongqing where have more available flights and anyway you will arrive in Lhasa the next morning.
Tibet Airlines offers the only 1 nonstop flight for you. You will just spend 1h 15mins to Qamdo from Lhasa which means you will spned less time on the road, more time on acclimation to high altitude sickness and wonderful sightseeing.
Lhasa to Qamdo Flight Timetable
Flight TV9849 of Tibet Airlines departs from Lhasa at 07:30 am and arrives in Qamdo 1h 15mins later. It is the exclusive nonstop Lhasa Qamdo flight. The other connecting flights have to change planes in major hub airports in Chengdu or Chongqing.
| Flight No. | Departure | Arrival | Duration | Frequency | Plane | Ticket |
| TV9849 Tibet Airlines | 07:30 Lhasa Gonggar Airport | 08:45 Qamdo Bangda Airport | 1h 15m | SMTWTFS | Airbus A319 | 1510 ￥ Economy Class |
Qamdo to Lhasa Flight Timetable
If you want to go to Lhasa from Qamdo by plane, you can take the daily direct flight TV9850 in 09:35am. It takes about 1.5 hrs flying. Have a short rest on the plane, later you can have lunch and start your holy city tour in Lhasa.
| Flight No. | Departure | Arrival | Duration | Frequency | Plane | Ticket |
| TV9850 Tibet Airlines | 09:35 Qamdo Bangda Airport | 11:00 Lhasa Gonggar Airport | 1h 25m | SMTWTFS | Airbus A319 | 1510 ￥ Economy Class |
Important Notice: 1) Above flight schedules and fares are only for reference; 2) The airlines companies usually will cut down the flight schedules during winter and spring seasons. There may be no daily flight in some months.
About Qamdo Bangda Airport
Qamdo Bangda Airport (BPX – 昌都邦达机场) was called the world’s farthest airport to downtown with the worst climate and the longest runway, it is also the second highest airport in the world. At an elevation of 4,334m (14,219 ft), Qamdo Airport has very low temperature of 20 degrees below zero in winter and spring. The oxygen there is just 50 % on sea level. Due to the high altitude and complicated geographic conditions, it’s quite difficult to flying in Qamdo Airport.
Located in east Tibet, the airport is over 1,300 km to Lhasa and Chengdu. Road transportation to the nearest Qamdo town takes about 3hrs in distance of 126 km. You can take the airport shuttle bus or a taxi to the airport.
Because Qamdo is a less popular tourist destination in Tibet, just a few routes are operating currently. You can fly to Qamdo from Lhasa, Chengdu, Chongqing, Tianjian and Anhui Fuyang. Note that flights between Qamdo and the above cities are not frequent and often.
Flights to Qamdo from Other Cities in China
Qamdo is in the east area of Tibet, less known to the world. The close location to Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai Province makes it more familiar to southwest cities: Chengdu, Chongqing, etc. Being the birth place of Kang – Pa Culture, Qamdo only has direct routes to the following cities:
Chengdu – Qamdo: 1 direct flight of Air China every day
Chongqing – Qamdo: 1 direct flight of Tibet Airlines per day
Tianjin – Qamdo: 1 nonstop flight of Tibet Airlines every day
Anhui Fuyang (安徽阜阳) – Qamdo: 1 nonstop flight of China Express Airlines on every Mon, Wed, Fri and Sun
Transfer to/off Qamdo Bangda Airport
The Qamdo Bangda Airport is 136km to the nearest Qamdo Town. Tourists need to take a 3h ride by taxi, costing about 250 – 300 CNY. Also you can take the airport shuttle bus, costing around 60 CNY. Coaches between Lhasa and Qamdo, Chengdu and Qamdo are irregular costing around 3 – 6 days in total. And scenic spots in Qamdo are far from each other.
