Lhasa Gonggar International Airport — Shannan (Gonggar), China

Lhasa Gonggar Airport, coded LXA, ranks among the highest-elevation commercial airports anywhere in the world, sitting on the Tibetan plateau along the Yarlung Tsangpo river valley in Gonggar County, roughly an hour's drive from Lhasa itself. The thin air at such extreme altitude affects aircraft performance directly, requiring longer takeoff rolls and payload restrictions that airlines must account for on every flight in and out. Lhasa, the historic seat of Tibetan Buddhism and home to the Potala Palace, draws a mix of domestic Chinese tourists, pilgrims, and a smaller number of international visitors, and LXA serves as the gateway for nearly all of them given the difficulty of overland travel across the surrounding mountains. Flights connect the airport to major Chinese cities including Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai, alongside routes to Kathmandu across the Himalayas. Security and travel permit requirements for foreign visitors add a layer of complexity to journeys through LXA not found at most other Chinese airports.