China Restarts Direct Flights to North Korea After Six-Year COVID-19 Hiatus

China’s flagship airline has reinstated direct flights between Beijing and North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, as of Monday, shortly after the re-establishment of passenger train services between the two cities.

The Air China flight was welcomed by Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, along with other diplomats, as reported by Chinese state media.

Passenger train service from China to North Korea resumed on March 12.
Both flights and train services to North Korea were halted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

In 2023, North Korean airline Air Koryo resumed flights between the two capitals.

During the pandemic, North Korea prohibited all foreign tourists but has begun to relax these restrictions, with a Russian tour group entering the country in 2024.

Before the ban, Chinese tour groups constituted 90% of all visitors to North Korea, and the delay in resuming tours from China has drawn attention from observers.

China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and significant ally, although Beijing has expressed concerns over North Korea’s missile test launches targeting South Korea and the United States.

In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a visit to Beijing to witness a grand military parade, marking the first attendance of a North Korean leader at a Chinese military event in decades.