Tibet Airlines is launching a new air service between Hong Kong and Lhasa via Chengdu from 19 February, according to an announcement published yesterday by Tibet’s civil aviation authority.
The service is scheduled to operate two times a week, with flight TV9701 from Hong Kong to Lhasa taking place on Wednesdays and Sundays, taking off at 3:45 pm and landing at 11:30 pm. Flight TV9703 from Lhasa to Hong Kong will run on Wednesdays and Sundays, departing at 8:10 am and landing at 2:35 pm.
Both flights will involve a brief layover in Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. In their statement, the Tibetan authorities said that the new route would “greatly reduce the travel time between the two locations.”
According to the Tibet Airlines’ online booking system, a one-way economy ticket starts from 1,087 yuan (including tax), while a business class ticket is priced from 2,812 yuan (including tax).
[See more: Air Macau adds more flights to Taichung in March]
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong Tourism Association’s executive director, Timothy Chui Ting-pong described the new route as “very attractive,” adding that it would lead to the organisation of more tour groups to the Lhasa. “In the past, simply travelling to Lhasa would take up a whole day,” Chui pointed out.
While there are similar non-direct flights from Hong Kong to Tibet, flight booking websites such as Skyscanner indicate that they are much more expensive and require the passenger to self-transfer to their connecting flight.
A similar flight between Macao and Lhasa by way of Chongqing is also being planned by Chinese carrier Westair, according to a statement last November from Macao’s airport operator.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has also announced its approval of the Macao-Chengdu-Lhasa route, which had a scheduled launch date of 3 December 2024. However, no official announcements have been made as to when the flight will begin operation.
