Air China will resume passenger flights between Beijing and Pyongyang on March 30, the airline announced Saturday, marking another step in the gradual reopening of North Korea’s borders after the coronavirus pandemic.
“Flights from China’s capital to Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital will run every Monday until May 18, but would scale down to two Mondays in June,” according to the website of the state-owned airline.
The flight resumption follows the restart of train service between the two nations earlier this week and signals a cautious normalization of travel ties between China and North Korea, which had largely halted since 2020.
North Korea banned tourists, jetted out diplomats and severely curtailed border traffic in one of the world’s most draconian COVID-19 restrictions. Two years later, Pyongyang started slowly easing curbs and reopening its borders.
North Korean Air Koryo resumed flights between the two nations’ capitals in 2023. In February 2024, North Korea accepted some Russian tourists for sightseeing visits, the first foreign nationals to visit the country. That development surprised many observers who thought the first post-pandemic tourists to North Korea would come from China, Pyongyang’s biggest trading partner and major ally. North Korea later also started welcoming other tourists.
The resumption of Air China’s service provides another connection between the two countries and could facilitate increased trade and diplomatic engagement. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a key diplomatic ally.