China steps up North Korea connections as regular Beijing-Pyongyang flights resume

A flight route between Beijing and Pyongyang has resumed.

An Air China flight leaves Beijing on Monday morning and returns from North Korea around noon the same day.

Photo: Kyodo China’s flagship airline resumed direct flight services to Pyongyang on Monday, a symbolic and logistical development that marks warming bilateral ties and comes just weeks after passenger train services were restored for the first time in six years.

The Air China flight arrived at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport on Monday morning, where the Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, and other embassy diplomats welcomed passengers at the airport, according to Xinhua.

The Boeing 737 operated by the national carrier departed from Beijing Capital International Airport about 8am and arrived at Pyongyang at 10.40am local time, flight data shows.

The return flight left Pyongyang for Beijing around 12pm local time.

According to the Air China website, the route operates on Mondays on the same schedule.

Wang said the resumed flight route was a “landmark event” in the two countries’ aviation cooperation, according to a Chinese embassy statement. “This will serve as a bridge to further strengthen friendly exchanges and people-to-people ties, and inject new momentum into bilateral travel, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges,” he was quoted as saying.

The statement said passenger representatives noted it was a “perfect flight experience” and expressed confidence that the resumed route would allow greater travel convenience.

Air China operated flights between Beijing and Pyongyang from 2008 but services were suspended in January 2020 following the outbreak of Covid-19.

The airline has since occasionally operated flights for Chinese government officials, while North Korea’s only commercial airline, Air Koryo, resumed flights to Beijing in August 2023.

Earlier this month, China resumed passenger train services to North Korea for the first time in six years.

Trains between Beijing and Pyongyang run four times a week, according to China Railway Group.

A train service between Dandong on the Chinese border and Pyongyang runs daily in both directions.

North Korea closed its borders in late January 2020, shortly after Covid-19 first appeared in China, making it one of the first countries to do so.

The closing of the border halted trips by Chinese tour groups, the main source of tourist visits.

Cargo rail links between the two countries resumed in January 2022 and cargo

原文链接: 南华早报