Lhasa-Gonggar

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ICAO Code ZULS/LXA
Last Validated
City Lhasa-Gonggar
Position 29°17'53"N 090°54'44"E
Runway(s) 09L/27R, 09R/27L
Elevation 11621 ft

General

The airport of Lhasa (called Lhasa-Gonggar) is about 100 kilometers to the South-Southwest of the city of Lhasa. Several Chinese companies have included flight to Lhasa in their schedule. Furthermore the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) detaches fighters to the airport on a (what seems to be) regular basis. Chinese F7s have been seen here more than once.
Though not the airport to be frequented by spotters it offers some nice spots and the surrounding scenery makes it very interesting. As always, but for this country in particular; note that the authorities are not always familiar with our hobby nor do they always agree to it!

Layout

The lay-out of the airport is pretty simple. There is a relatively small terminal on the Western side of the airport with a parking lot in front of it. Any military operation takes place from the platform on the Eastern side.

Getting There

Getting there is not that easy. The best way to go there would be by flying in. Another option is to take the airport bus that departs at 05:00 AM from Lhasa. It takes you to the airport in about 1.5 hours.

Around the Airport

1Spot 1 - 27 approach

This spot is very nice for reading the serials and photography. The spot is near the Yarlung Tsampo river and the Himalayan mountains on the background. An awesome scenery for perfect shots! Assuming your starting point is the airport terminal building you have to walk for a while. Please bear in mind that the airport is located at nearly 12.000 ft so walking takes some time. Start walking towards the East (to other way you came from, when coming from Lhasa). Just follow the paved road and you will end up walking parallel to the runway. Keep walking for a while after the runway has ended. At a given moment and at your own convenience you can turn left towards the Tsampo river. Find a spot under some trees.

2Spot 2 - Terminal building

The other spot is located inside the terminal building. When entering you can walk towards the glass wall on the platform side. From there you have a good view of the platform and all active aircraft (including the military ones) taxi in front of this building and are read without a hitch. Photo opportunities are limited to an area near gates 4 and 5.

Based Operators

PLAAFdetachments

Order of Battle China

China Air Force
China Army Aviation
China Naval Aviation

Other Airfields

Lhasa-Gonggar

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