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Ngari Gunsa Airport

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Ngari Gunsa Airport

阿里昆莎机场
ལྷ་ས་གོང་དཀར་རྫོང་
  • IATA: NGQ
  • ICAO: ZUAL
    NGQ is located in Tibet
    NGQ
    NGQ
    Location of the airport in Tibet
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerChina Civil Aviation Administration of the Tibet Autonomous Region
ServesShiquanhe, Gar
LocationNgari (Ali), Tibet
Elevation AMSL13,780 ft / 4,200 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14,764 4,500 Asphalt

Ngari Gunsa Airport (simplified Chinese: 阿里昆莎机场; traditional Chinese: 阿里昆莎機場; pinyin: Ā​lǐ​ Kūn​shā​ Jīchǎng) in Ngari Prefecture, near the town of Shiquanhe or Ali, in the southwest of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, started operations on 1 July 2010, becoming the fourth civil airport in Tibet.[1] The other civil airports currently operating in Tibet are Lhasa Gonggar, Nyingchi, and Qamdo Bangda airports.[2] Peace Airport in Xigaze is scheduled to open in October 2010.[1] The airport officially began operations on 1 July 2010 when an Airbus 319 landed at 10:20 a.m. local time.[1] The airport is served by Air China's southwestern branch which offers flights from Chengdu to Lhasa on Tuesdays and Fridays.[3]

It is more than 4,200 meters (13,780 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest airports in the world. The highest commercial airport is Qamdo Bangda Airport which has an elevation of 4,334 m (14,219 ft).[4] Gunsa airport has a 4,500-meter runway. It is expected to handle 120,000 passengers by 2020. Construction began in May 2007 and cost an estimated 1.65 billion yuan (241.22 million U.S. dollars).[1]

As Shiquanhe (Ali) is only a one-day bus drive (about 330 km) from the settlement of Darchen situated just north of Lake Mansarovar, facing Mount Kailash.[5] It is expected to benefit pilgrims to these two sites, which are considered sacred by Hindus,[6] Buddhists, Bonpa and Jains.[7][8] With the expected opening of Peace Airport in October, the five airports, coupled with the Qinghai–Tibet railway and a network of roads, are expected to increase tourism to scenic and holy sites in Tibet.[6]

With construction starting in 2011 and expected to be completed in 2014, the Nagqu Dagring Airport would surpass Qamdo Bangda Airport to become the world's highest altitude airport at 4,436 meters (14,554 ft) above sea level.[9]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air China Chengdu, Lhasa
Tibet Airlines Chengdu, Lhasa

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d Tibet's fourth civil airport opens
  2. ^ Gongkhar Airport in Tibet enters digital communication age
  3. ^ Ngari airport declared open
  4. ^ "Boeing News Release: Boeing 757 Now Serves World's Highest-Altitude Airport". Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |abbr= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Mayhew and Kohn (2005), p. 209.
  6. ^ a b "Pilgrims to benefit from new Tibet Airport near Mt Kailash."
  7. ^ Albinia (2008), p. 288,
  8. ^ Gyurme (199), p. 36.
  9. ^ World's highest-altitude airport planned on Tibet

References

  • Albinia, Alice. (2008) Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River. First American Edition (2010) W. W. Norton & Company, New York. ISBN 978-0393-33860-7.
  • Dorje, Gyurme. (2009) Tibet Handbook. Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England. ISBN 978 1 906908 32 2.
  • Mayhew, Bradley and Kohn, Michael. (2005) Tibet. 6th Edition. ISBN 1-74059-523-8.
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