Air China resumes North Korea flights after six years.

Beijing and Pyongyang – (Web Desk) – Beijing and Pyongyang are connected by air once more. Air China restarted its direct route between the two capitals on Monday, ending a six-year break that began when North Korea shut its borders during the pandemic in 2020.

The flight took off from Beijing Capital Airport just before 8 in the morning. It landed in Pyongyang about two and a half hours later. The plane carried up to 128 passengers but only people travelling for business, study or other approved reasons were allowed on board.

China’s ambassador to North Korea was at the airport to welcome the arriving passengers.

North Korea has always kept a tight grip on who gets in. But things are slowly changing. Train services between Beijing and Pyongyang recently restarted too. It feels like the country is quietly cracking the door open again.

One passenger, Zhao Bin, was heading to Pyongyang for business. He held up his ticket for reporters and said he hoped this was just the beginning. “I expect both railway routes and Air China flights will increase,” he said. He has been to North Korea several times before and called the resumed flights a big convenience for frequent travellers like himself.

Zhao was also looking forward to the food. He described North Korean cuisine as “incredibly rich and diverse.” He hopes more travel between the two countries will bring people closer together.

Economy tickets were going for around $200. A return flight from Pyongyang was scheduled for midday the same day.

China matters enormously to North Korea. It is the country’s biggest trading partner and its most important political ally. When North Korea sealed itself off during COVID, China was essentially its only lifeline.

North Korea has been reopening slowly and selectively. It brought back flights and trains with Russia last year. The state airline Air Koryo also restarted Beijing flights back in 2023. But Air China returning adds more options and easier connections for travellers coming from different parts of the world.

A tour company that specialises in North Korea trips said this was a promising step. But their manager Rowan Beard was careful not to get ahead of things. There is still no word on whether Western tourists will be allowed back in.

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Before the pandemic Chinese tourists dominated foreign visits to North Korea. Around 350,000 visited in 2019 alone. That kind of tourism brought in serious money for Pyongyang. Western visitors were far fewer. Only about 5,000 came each year and Americans made up roughly one in five of those.

For now the doors are open just a little. But people are watching closely to see how wide they will swing.