Air Koryo is back in the air and this time, it’s not just domestic flights. The North Korean airline recently resumed international flights, first to China and now to Russia. On August 25, 2023, a Tupolev Tu-204, registered as P-632, flew from Pyongyang Sunan International Airport to Vladivostok International Airport in Russia.
The Flights in Detail
The Russian media outlet RIA reported something interesting: the flight to Vladivostok didn’t have any passengers. But on the way back, “several groups of passengers approached the check-in counter.” The return flight, JS272, landed back in Pyongyang around 2:20 PM local time.
Before this, another Air Koryo Tupolev Tu-204, registered as P-633, touched down at Beijing Capital International Airport in China on August 22, 2023. The same plane made another trip to Beijing on August 24, 2023, and returned to Pyongyang the same day. These international flights are a big deal for Air Koryo because it’s the first time their planes have crossed the North Korean border since March 2020.
China’s Role in Air Koryo’s Resumption
Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shed some light on this. On August 21, 2023, he said, “After announcing the decision to manage COVID-19 with measures against Class-B infectious diseases, China resumed handling Chinese and foreign airlines’ applications to resume international passenger flights.” He added that China approved Air Koryo’s application for scheduled flights between Pyongyang and Beijing during their shift to the summer-autumn schedules of 2023.
The Air Koryo Fleet
Air Koryo doesn’t have any Western-made planes because of heavy sanctions. All 15 of their aircraft are Russian-made, and they’re not exactly new. On average, these planes are 33.2 years old. North Korea can’t even consider getting Chinese planes like the COMAC C919 or the ARJ21 because they use Western-made parts. But Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation has been working on planes like the Sukhoi Superjet New and the MC-21, which could be options for North Korea in the future.
Air Koryo is back in the international flight game with recent trips to China and Russia. These are the airline’s first international flights since the pandemic started in March 2020. While the fleet is old and entirely Russian-made, the resumption of international flights is a significant step for Air Koryo.
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