The price of an air ticket from Chengdu, Sichuan Province to Tibet Autonomous Region hit a record low of 450 yuan (US$56) as more tourists are choosing to take the train.

Before the Qinghai-Tibet railway opened in July, air tickets were in high demand and cost 1,500 yuan each.

Since the beginning of November air tickets have been discounted as much as 70 percent and are now almost 250 yuan cheaper than a train ticket.

"The trains have taken away our customers, which is the main reason we are offering such discounts," said a sales manager of Sichuan Airlines.

Aviation was the main mode of travel to Tibet. Air China's southwest branch had provided the only flights to the Tibetan capital for 30 years when air service was first launched in March 1965. It flew a million passengers a year to Tibet.

Sichuan Airlines launched flights from Chengdu to Tibet in August 2005. Other airlines soon followed.

Now, there are eight flights a day from Chengdu to Lhasa.

Editor: Donald