Air China announced it will restart flights between Beijing and Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, beginning March 30. The airline said flights will operate every Monday until May 18, before reducing frequency to two Mondays in June.
The resumption comes shortly after passenger train services between the two countries were restarted earlier this week, signaling a gradual reopening of North Korea’s border.
North Korea had implemented some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 restrictions starting in 2020, banning tourists, evacuating foreign diplomats, and severely limiting cross-border travel. In 2023, North Korean Air Koryo resumed flights between Beijing and Pyongyang.
The country also welcomed Russian tourists in February 2024, surprising observers who expected China, its largest trading partner, to be the first source of post-pandemic visitors. North Korea has since gradually opened to other foreign tourists, though international travel remains tightly controlled.
This latest move marks another step in normalizing travel and trade ties between China and North Korea after years of pandemic-related restrictions.
