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Flying over Tibet was deemed impossible in the past due to the high altitude. Today, it has become the fastest transport means of getting in and out of Tibet. Aviation services began on March 1, 1965 when a plane of Southwest Airlines succeeded in flying from Chengdu to Lhasa. At present, it has regular flights shuttling between Lhasa and cities like Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Xining, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Kunming and Zhongdian. There are also regular flights between Qamdo and Lhasa, as well as a link to Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. Southwest Airlines set up a branch company in Lhasa in August 2004. The branch now has five Airbus 319 and two Boeing 757 aircraft. Tibet's aviation business has entered an exciting new period of development.
On July 28, 2003, the Southern Aviation Co. opened the Guangzhou-Deqen-Lhasa flight route, a move that broke a 38-year monopoly in Tibet. Four Boeing 757s now traverse the route. Given the special conditions unique to the plateau, the planes have additional oxygen supply and pressure systems.
In the past 10 years, both passenger and goods transportation has increased at an annual average of 13.3 percent. CAAC operates more than 40 flights weekly, with the number of passengers carried rising from some 4,000 in the beginning to over 800,000 in 2004. By March 1, 2005, the number of successful flights had reached more than 50,000, transporting a total of some seven million passengers and 150,000 tons of mail and materials. The same period also saw successful performance in the urgent transport of materials to disaster-stricken areas in Tibet.
Timetable of Scheduled Flights
(CAAC Information: 0891--6833446)
|
Flight Route |
Flight No. |
Schedule |
Takeoff Time |
Landing Time |
Fare (RMB) |
|
Lhasa-Beijing |
SZ4111 |
1、4 |
10：25 |
15：10 |
1940 |
|
Beijing-Lhasa |
SZ4112 |
4、7 |
08：15 |
13：30 |
1940 |
|
Lhasa-Chengdu |
SZ4402 |
1-7 |
09：30 |
11：15 |
1270 |
|
Lhasa-Chengdu |
a340 |
1-7 |
09：40 |
11：30 |
1270 |
|
Lhasa-Chengdu |
SZ4444 |
2、6 |
14：20 |
16：00 |
1200 |
|
Lhasa-Chongqing |
SZ4420 |
5 |
09：55 |
12：00 |
1300 |
|
Lhasa-Xining |
SZ4218 |
3、4、7 |
13：30 |
15：10 |
1290 |
|
Lhasa-Xi’an |
SZ4218 |
3、4、7 |
13：30 |
17：05 |
1320 |
|
Chengdu-Lhasa |
SZ4401 |
1-7 |
06：48 |
08：30 |
1200 |
|
Chengdu-Lhasa |
SZ4403 |
1-7 |
06：58 |
08：48 |
1200 |
|
Chongqing-Lhasa |
SZ4419 |
5 |
07：00 |
09：30 |
1300 |
|
Xi’an-Lhasa |
SZ4217 |
3、4、7 |
10：30 |
12：50 |
1320 |
|
Xining-Lhasa |
SZ4217 |
3、4、7 |
08：55 |
12：50 |
1290 |
|
Lhasa-Kathmandu |
SZ407 |
2、4、6 |
10：15 |
11：15 |
1980 |
|
Kathmandu-Lhasa |
SZ408 |
2、4、6 |
12：15 |
13：15 |
USD238 |
|
Guangzhou-Lhasa |
SZ4312 |
2、6 |
08：00 |
12：50 |
2140 |
|
Lhasa-Guangzhou |
SZ4311 |
2、6 |
13：25 |
17：30 |
2140 |
|
Chengdu-Qamdo |
SZ4409 |
4 |
07：20 |
08：20 |
720 |
|
Qamdo-Chengdu |
SZ4410 |
7 |
11：15 |
12：15 |
660 |
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