Shigatse Peace Airport

Shigatse Peace Airport (IATA: RKZ, ICAO: ZURK), Shigatse Heping Airport, or Shigatse Air Base, is a dual-use military and civilian airport serving Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is located in Jiangdang Township, 43 kilometres (27 mi) from Shigatse. Situated at an elevation of 3,782 metres (12,408 ft), it is one of the highest airports in the world. The airport connects Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet, and Chengdu, the most important and famous city in southwest China.

IATA: RKZ

ICAO: ZURK

Address: Jiangdang Township, Sangzhuzi District, Shigatse City

Brief Introduction of Shigatse Peace Airport

Construction of Shigatse Airport started in 1968 and was completed in 1973. It was solely for military use until 2010, when a 532 million yuan expansion was completed. On 30 October 2010, the airport was opened as the fifth civilian airport in Tibet. The airport has a 5,000 meter runway with a 60-meter asphalt overrun at each end. It also features a 4,500 square-metre terminal building.

At an altitude of 3,782 meters, the airport is quite challenging for the aircraft to fly in and out. The thin air and a changing climate, coupled with the lack of ground navigation, contribute to the difficulty of flying.

The airport saves a great amount of time for visitors to Shigatse and facilitates the tourism development in Shigatse.

Shigatse - Chengdu Flights Schedule

There is one flight flying from Shigatse to Chengdu every day, Tibet Airlines TV9844, taking off at 09:15am at Shigatse Peace Airport and arriving at Chengdu at 11:30am. The flight distance is 1526KM.

Chengdu - Shigatse Flights Schedule

Tibet Airlines TV9843 takes off from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at 6:00am and arrives at Shigatse Peace Airport 2.5 hours later. Breakfast is served on the plane. As Shigatse Peace Airport features an altitude of 3,782 meters, please walk slowly after the landing in case of altitude sickness.

Shigatse Peace Airport Arrival

The airport is approximately 43 km from the downtown Shigatse. You can take a taxi or airport shuttle. The shuttle bus will be parked at the Shandong Building at 9 am. And it’s about an hour's drive to the city by taxi, costing about 100 yuan.

Traveling in Shigatse

Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet, located in the southwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, bordered by Ngari Prefecture and Nagqu County. Shigatse is known as the “National Historical and Cultural City” with a history of more than 600 years. Famous attractions there include Mount Everest, Tashilhunpo Monastery and Sakya Monastery.

How to get to Shigatse from Lhasa

By road: Lhasa is about 260 km from Shigatse. There are two routes for you to choose. One is driving to Shigatse via the G318 National Highway, taking about 5 hours. Through this way, you can arrive at Shigatse faster but have no scenery to enjoy along the way. The other takes 8-9 hours. But taking the second route,you are able to enjoy attractions like Yamdrok Lake, the Karola Glacier and Baiju Temple.

By train: There are 2 trains from Lhasa to Shigatse and 2 trains from Shigatse to Lhasa every day. It takes less than three hours for tourists travelling to Shigatse from Lhasa.