Tibet Transportation

Road transport is the principal transport mode in Tibet. In 1955, the State Council decided that the Ministry of Communications should allocate 730 cars to Kangding-Tibet highway and Qinghai-Tibet Highway. In 1956, Vice Premier chen Yi approved to allocate 200 cars to Tibet, build car repair, station affair and fuel organizations and created Tibet road transport. Road transport has played an important role in social development and economic prosperity in different historical development phases. It has made major headway. Since the reform and open-up drive was initiated, road transport development has been accelerated, collective and individual transport has mushroomed. The regional civil cars amount to 35,044 including 13,352 business lorries and 3,267 business passenger cars, which fall into 516 long-distance coaches, 1,268 urban mini-buses and 1,483 taxis. There are 35,369 tractors and 14,225 motorcycles. There are 68 passenger transport lines, and passenger transport lines are accessible to 66% of counties. Ten inter-provincial lines were open, leading to the provinces of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia and Sichuan, the longest distance is 3,600 kilometers, and inter-provincial lines are accessible to 85% prefectures and cities. Nine passenger transport stations including Lhasa, Shigatse, Zedan, Nyingchi, Qamdo, Zhungmu, Yedong and Nagqu have been built. Annual goods transport volume hits 2.66 million tons and passenger transport volume hits 2.37 million people. Car repair industry that meets the road transport industry has steadily developed. Tibet's first car repair factory was established in 1957. Now there are 453 car repair outlets in categories 1,2 and 3.56% counties have repair outlets. A repair network radiating from cities and townships to along the highway, with various forms and tiers.
Featuring high elevation, precipitous position and bad climate, Tibet Plateau was deemed as Air No-Fly Zone by the world aviation industry. Since 1949, under the high attention of wide decision of the Party Central Committee, aviation transport line between the hinterland and Tibet was open. On May 26,1956, Yier 12 airplane steadily landed on the Dangxiong Airport and broke the air no-fly zone. Gonggar, Heping and Bamda airports were built in 1966, 1968 and 1969 respectively. Gonggar Airport was listed in the state's key construction projects during he period of 1986-1990. The expanded airport is able to accommodate over 290-passenger plane, over 200t Boeing planes can touch the ground. In 1993 the central government decided to repair Bamda Airport in 1993. There are Keze, Gonggar and Bamda airports. Domestic flights between Beijing-Lhasa, Chengdu-Lhasa-Chengdu, Chongqing-Lhasa-Chongqing, Xi'an-Lhasa-Xi'an, Chengdu-Bamda-Chengdu, Xi'an-Lhasa-Xining and the Lhasa-Kathmandu-Lhasa international line were opened, annual passengers hit 176,000 and 8,200 tons of materials are transported. Since 1956 when the pilot voyage succeeded, Tibet air transport has kept flight safety under volatile climate conditions in Tibet Plateau, and has written a glorious page in China's aviation history.
In a move to resolve the protracted petroleum supply in Tibet, following the instruction of late premier Zhou Enlai, a construction corps with PLA as the mainstay and including engineering and technical personnel, workers and militiamen from across the country overcame various difficulties, struggled for three years, completed the 1,080 kilometers finished oil pipeline with the world's highest elevation and China's longest length in 1977. A large oil terminal was also built to transport 108,000 tons of oil each year. It ensures petroleum supply in Tibet, stabilizes petroleum market price, promotes economic construction and defense construction in Tibet. It is called the energy artery of Tibet construction.