TIBET Airlines, the only carrier to be based at Lhasa Gonggar Airport, will launch its inaugural route, from Lhasa to Beijing on July 20. This is two weeks after the carrier takes delivery of the first of three Airbus A319s on order.
The other two A319s are scheduled for delivery in August and September. All three aircraft will offer eight first-class and 120 economy-class seats.
The airline is planning to grow its fleet to 20 aircraft over the next five years.
Besides providing links from Lhasa to other Tibetan cities, the carrier intends to expand its network to South Asia (India, Pakistan and Nepal) and South-east Asia by 2013, and to Europe by 2015.
Tibet Airlines has a start-up capital of RMB280 million (US$43 million), with the Tibet Autonomous Region Investment Company holding a 51 per cent stake, and two companies, Tibet Sanli Investment Company and Tibet Ruiyi Investment Company, owning 39 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.
Air China, Sichuan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are the top three carriers currently serving Lhasa.
