Ningbo is served by Ningbo Lishe International Airport (NGB), a major airport in Zhejiang Province and an important economic hub in the Yangtze River Delta. It offers a solid domestic network into NGB from across China and a growing selection of international routes arriving in Ningbo, particularly from Southeast and East Asia, serving a large base of business travelers and tourists.
The most frequent and affordable flights to Ningbo are domestic routes from major Chinese cities into NGB. Key departure points to Ningbo include Beijing (PEK/PKX), Guangzhou (CAN), Shenzhen (SZX), Chengdu (TFU), and Xi'an (XIY) to NGB. Internationally, NGB receives direct flights to Ningbo from several regional hubs, including Seoul (ICN), Bangkok (BKK), Singapore (SIN), Osaka (KIX), and Hong Kong (HKG) to NGB, with occasional services from farther destinations.
The market into Ningbo is competitive, featuring operations from major Chinese carriers and low-cost airlines. China Eastern Airlines has a significant presence at NGB for arrivals. Spring Airlines, a major low-cost carrier, has a base at Ningbo, offering very competitive fares on many domestic and regional international routes to NGB. Other carriers like Air China, China Southern, and Juneyao Air also operate key routes into Ningbo. International service to NGB is provided by a mix of Chinese and foreign airlines like Korean Air and Thai AirAsia.
To find cheap flights to Ningbo, book domestic arrivals into NGB 3-6 weeks in advance. For international routes to Ningbo from Southeast or East Asia, start searching 2-4 months ahead for flights to NGB. Utilize Spring Airlines' base at NGB for some of the lowest fares to Ningbo from destinations across China and Asia. Flying into NGB mid-week typically offers lower fares to Ningbo. Ningbo serves as a convenient and often less expensive alternative to Shanghai's airports for arrivals in the southern part of the Yangtze River Delta, especially when considering the cost and time of ground transfer to Ningbo.