01 July 2006
Increased flights to Lhasa
Air companies in China have recently increased flights to Lhasa, in order to compete with the Golmud-Lhasa railway. Following a new air route between Xian and Lhasa launched by the Hainan Airlines in May 2006, China Eastern Airlines have now also opened the Shanghai-Xian-Lhasa air route. Air China will increase the flights from 8 to 10 times a day on the route between Chengdu and Lhasa. The Tourism bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) predicts that with the Golmud-Lhasa railway will boost tourism to TAR by 400,000 a year. Chen Xin, vice manager of Air China's planning department, said that the majority of tourists would enter the TAR by rail and leave by air. Although the air companies increased flights to explore the market in the TAR, Chen said there would be no change in the air ticket price.