China plans to build world’s highest airport in Tibet

China has announced plans to build the world’s highest airport at an altitude of 4,436 meters (14,553ft) in Tibet.

The new airport, to be named as Nagqu Dagring Airport, will be located at Nagqu (also Naqu, Nagchu; Tibetan: ནག་ཆུ་ས་ཁུལ་; Wylie: Nag-chu Sa-khul; Chinese: 那曲) located 300 kilometers north of Lhasa at the center of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Nagqu is connected to Highway 109 which spans north to Golmud and another Highway 317 which links east into Sichuan Province.

The airport will be another feat of engineering just 764 meters lower than the Mount Everest base camp on the Chinese side already located 5,200 meters above sea level. The Nagqu airport is the sixth one in Tibet and upon completion will give the region one airport per prefecture.

The new airport will be 102 meters higher than Bamda (Tibetan: Pomda) Airport in Qamdo (Tibetan: Chamdo) Prefecture, which has been the world’s highest airport since its completion in 1994. “With the airport, Nagqu, which is also on the Qinghai-Tibet railway line, is expected to become the center of an economic hub in the plateau region,” Tan Yongshou, commissioner of the prefecture.

Qamdo Bangda Airport in Tibet is the hightest airport since 1994

Construction of the new airport, which is likely to cost $260 million (yuan 1.8 billion), will start in 2011.

Xu Bo, director of the Tibetan branch of the China civil aviation administration commented: “The objective for the next stage of development is to open direct air routes from Tibet to South Asian countries.”

An extraordinary railway line connecting Tibet to the rest of China opened four years ago, and the government is constructing six new rail lines in and around the vast region, which is rich in natural resources.

Beijing argues that such changes are needed to boost growth and raise living standards.

But opponents claim that the developments are eroding the Tibetan way of life and damaging a fragile environment. They also believe that the economic benefits of the changes have been overstated.

But the railway itself has been a feat of engineering. At its highest point, the Qinghai-Tibet line hits 5,072 metres – a height that is above the peak of any European mountain.

西藏那曲将建世界海拔最高机场 2011年动工

西藏将在那曲地区建设世界上海拔最高的机场，这个机场海拔为4436米，比目前世界上海拔最高的昌都邦达机场要高出102米。占地面积约为3500亩至4000亩的4D级机场，机场的地址初步选定在那曲地区达萨乡达仁区，因此取名为“那曲达仁机场”。该机场计划于2011年动工，用3年建成。

海拔最高　挑战飞机极限

今年要完成在那曲地区机场的选址、飞行程序和导航台站的确认，如果一切顺利，预计在“十二五”期间开工建设。目前预选址海拔 4436米，是世界上海拔最高的机场。民航西藏管理局局长徐波说，这个高度，是飞机制造商提供的民用飞机发动机中，所能承受的极限高度。不过，经过前期周密调研，飞行不会有问题。

那曲地区新建机场项目已被列入“十二五”规划，初步确定建设一个占地面积约3500至4000亩的4D级机场，估计投资将达到18个亿。目前还在进行可研性报告和选址工作，计划2011年动工，在3年时间内建成。初步将机场的地址定在那曲地区那曲县达萨乡达仁区，机场的名字为“那曲达仁机场”。

速度快　40分钟从拉萨到那曲

“从拉萨到那曲，我个人开车的话，4个半小时能到那曲镇，那曲地区有机场后，从拉萨飞那曲只需要40分钟左右。”徐波认为，那曲建机场将大大方便两地公务和商务往来。

西藏自治区目前拥有拉萨贡嘎机场、林芝米林机场和改扩建工程完成的昌都邦达机场。于2007年动工建设的阿里地区昆莎机场目前工程进展也很顺利，计划在今年7月1日正式通航。日喀则和平机场正在紧张进行改扩建，有望在今年10月1日投入使用，将成为我区第5个民用机场。

建设中的阿里昆莎机场候机楼

今年自治区还将投资8亿元对拉萨贡嘎飞行区进行改造，贡嘎机场旅客量已经恢复到了2007年的火爆状态，而跑道因为老化缘故，已经无法满足旅客出行要求。跑道改造主要实行“盖被”工程，即加一层沥青混凝土，建成柔性跑道。此外还将改造7.7万平方米的停机坪，徐波说，如果条件允许，将争取大型空中客机起降，提高效率。