Air Line Information
There are around 3-6 flights operating from Shangri-La to Lhasa every day, ONLY ONE daily non-stop flight. The Shangri-La Airport in Diqing, Yunnan Province served as the biggest airport closing to eastern Tibet area and has regular flight routes to Lhasa, Kunming, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai Guangzhou, Chongqing, etc. It only takes 2 hours to fly from Shangri-La, Yunnan to Lhasa, Tibet.
Distance: 542 miles (872km)
Flying Duration: about 2hrs
Major Airlines: China Eastern Airlines
Frequency: 1 non-stop fight every day
Flight Type: non-stop flights
Ticket Full Price: 1380 CNY (economy class)
Airports: Diqing Shangri-La Airport (DIG) – Lhasa Gonggar International Airport (LXA)
Why Take Flight to Lhasa from Shangri-La
1. Diqing Shangri-La Airport provides 3-6 direct flights to Lhasa, including 1 non-stop flight opened by China Easter Airlines and at most 5 connecting flights.
2. You can fly from Yunnan to Lhasa for Tibet tour within 2 hours, which is quite convenient and faster than train. Currently, the Yunnan Tibet Railway, starting from Kunming Railway Station to Lhasa Railway Station, is under construction, so you have to take a train from nearby Chengdu or Chongqing costing over 40 hours.
3. Located in northwest Yunnan Province, Shangri-La is praised as the “Paradise on Earth”, rich in long historical culture and beautiful natural scenery, e.g. Sumtseling Monastery and Meri Snow Mountain.
4. Diqing Airport is a good choice to transfer in southwest China areas, especially for wonderful Yunnan Tour. You can extend your China tour from this famous tourism province – South of the Clouds.
Shangri-La Lhasa Flights Schedules
Shangri-La to Lhasa Flight Timetable
The flight MU5939 operated by China Eastern Airlines sometime originally departs from Kunming Changshui International Airport and stop in Diqing Shangri-La Airport, and there is only 1 daily direct flight to Lhasa, so the ticket will be very limited. Please buy your air ticket as early as possible since it’s hard to get in every peak season.
| Flight No. | Departure | Arrival | Duration | Frequency | Plane | Ticket |
| MU5939 China Eastern Airlines | 10:35 Diqing Shangri-La Airport | 12:40 Lhasa Gonggar Airport | 2h 5m | SMTWTFS | Boeing 737 | 1380 ￥ Economy Class |
Lhasa to Shangri-La Flight Timetable
If you want to have a Yunnan tour after Tibet travel, you can take the MU5940 flight in Lhasa and get off in Diqing Shangri-La Airport or in the terminal – Kunming Changshui International Airport based on your itinerary. Take a short rest on the plane after the high altitude travel.
| Flight No. | Departure | Arrival | Duration | Frequency | Plane | Ticket |
| MU5940 China Eastern Airlines | 13:30 Lhasa Gonggar Airport | 15:20 Diqing Shangri-La Airport | 1h 50m | SMTWTFS | Boeing 737 | 1380 ￥ 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 Diqing Shangri-La Airport
Located in southwest of Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Diqing Shangri-La Airport (DIG – 迪庆香格里拉机场, elevation: 3287m) is a civil airport of Yunnan Province. The airport was opened to navigation in 1999 with two terminals and parking facilities for Boeing 767 and Airbus 330. It is 5 kilometers to Zhongdian County, the capital of Diqing, where are connected by China Highway 214 and Kangba Avenue. Operating airlines includes Sichuan Airlines, Lucky Air, China Eastern Airlines and Southern Airlines, etc.
Currently, there are 7 domestic regular routes to destinations: Kunming, Chengdu, Lhasa, Beijing and so on. The expansion project phase III is now in the pipeline. It is planned to be the trunk line airport in Yunnan and a hub airport for Tibet areas in future.
Domestic Flights to Shangri-La
So far, the Shangri-La Airport has 9 domestic flight routes, including inner cities connection in Yunnan and farther routes to Lhasa, Chengdu, even Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc.
Connecting domestic flight routes to Changsha, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Guiyang was added later. Approximately 3 – 5 new routes are expected to open in 2017 and 4 – 6 more new routes will be opened in 2018 according to news reports.
1)Tibet : Lhasa
2)Yunnan: Kunming , Mang City of Dehong
3)Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian
4)Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou
Transfer to/off Diqing Shangri-La Airport
Diqing Shangri-La Airport is about 5 kilometers to the Zhongdian County. There is no bus or airport shuttle available there. Usually, passengers go to the central town by taxi, costing around 30 CNY. Walk out the exit to 50 meters away, you will find the taxi parking area.
