Ngari Gunsa Airport
Airport in Ngari, Tibet, China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ali Kunsha Airport, also called Ngari Günsa Airport, (IATA: NGQ, ICAO: ZUAL), also known as Shiquanhe Airport,[citation needed] is a dual-use military and civil airport serving the town of Shiquanhe in Ngari Prefecture of Tibet region of China.[2] It is located in the Günsa Township, roughly 90 km from Shiquanhe. It started operations on 1 July 2010, becoming the fourth civil airport in Tibet after Lhasa, Nyingchi, and Qamdo airports.[2]
Ngari Gunsa Airport 阿里昆莎机场 | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
| Serves | Shiquanhe | ||||||||||
| Location | Gar Chongsar, Günsa Township, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4,274 m / 14,022 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°06′31″N 80°03′10″E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  NGQ Location of airport in Tibet | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2021) | |||||||||||
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| Source:[1] | |||||||||||
| Ngari Gunsa Airport | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 阿里昆莎机场 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 阿里昆莎機場 | ||||||
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Situated at 4,274 m (14,022 ft) above sea level, Gunsa Airport is the fifth highest airport in the world after Daocheng Yading Airport, Qamdo Bamda Airport, Shigatse Tingri Airport and Garze Kangding Airport.[3][4] Gunsa airport has a 4,500-meter runway. It is expected to handle 120,000 passengers by 2020. Construction began in May 2007 and cost an estimated 1.65 billion yuan (241.22 million U.S. dollars).[2]
As Shiquanhe (Ali) is only a one-day bus drive (about 330 km) from the settlement of Darchen situated just north of Lake Manasarovar, facing Mount Kailash,[5] it is expected to benefit pilgrims to these two sites, which are considered sacred by Hindus,[6] Buddhists, Bonpa and Jains.[7][8] With the opening of Shigatse Peace Airport in October 2010, the five airports, coupled with the Qinghai–Tibet railway and a network of roads, are expected to increase tourism to scenic and holy sites in Tibet.[6]
Military buildup
Since the last major standoff between China and India at Doklam in 2017 military presence at the Ngari Gunsa Airport has been expanded with Shenyang J-16s and J-11s fighter jets stationed. The airport is 200 kilometres from Pangong Tso, Ladakh.[9][10]