Crew memebers and local officials pose for a group photograph at Nyingchi Mainling Airport, Nyingchi Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Rgeion, Feb 2, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's Tibet Airlines launched three new routes this week linking Tibet's Nyingchi with other major cities in southwest China, Xinhua News Agency's website reported Thursday.

The three new routes are Nyingchi to Lhasa, Chengdu and Chongqing, with round-trip services. Flights will be from Nyingchi Mainling Airport to Lhasa every Monday and Thursday, to Chengdu every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and to Chongqing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The full price for an economy class ticket is 1,380 yuan ($219) for all three new routes.

The carrier will operate these routes with its Airbus A319 plane and there will be four Tibetan flight attendants providing services on each flight, Xinhua's report said.

Before this month, Air China's Nyingchi-Chengdu route was the only passenger service operating at the Nyingchi airport.

Located in the southeast part of China's Tibet autonomous region, Nyingchi Prefecture is called the "Switzerland of Tibet" and renowned for its picturesque green mountains and clear water, which is completely different from most parts of Tibet – a plateau region with an average elevation of over 4,000 meters.

The opening of the new routes may help boost local tourism and economy to a large extent as the current air service capacity falls well short of demand during the peak tourist season.

"The new routes bridge Nyingchi with key cities in southwest China and will facilitate local economic and social development," Nyingchi Prefecture's Party chief Zhao He told Xinhua on Thursday.

Famous scenic spots in Nyingchi include the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon and Nanyi Valley, the birthplace of Tibetan medicine.