Recent maintenance and a re-opening of Pyongyang Airport to international arrivals have sparked hope of Air Koryo’s return.
As China and the United States shed their remaining COVID-era travel restrictions, the days of pandemic-induced border closures and weeks-long quarantines feel well behind the average holidaymaker. Still, one country, in particular, remains uniquely stubborn and shuttered to international travel to this day – North Korea.
Though the hermit kingdom has required little prompting to sequester itself away from the outside world in the past, the prolonged grounding of Air Koryo’s international network and repurposing of Pyongyang International Airport (FNJ) into a ballistic missile testing site has raised questions and concerns about the future of North Korea’s tourism industry, its flag carrier, and general air infrastructure across the region.
In July, Pyongyang Airport opened its runways to international services for the first time in three years, welcoming a delegation of Chinese and Russian diplomats for a military parade via Air China and the Russian Air Force. The arrival was unique – it was the first-time visitors to North Korea were able to breeze through without a six-week-long quarantine since the start of the pandemic, as reported by NK News.
Despite the fanfare, the resumption of some travel has not been entirely unexpected. Earlier this year, the South China Morning Post and Mainichi Shimbun reported that North Korea was already gearing up to resume flights as early as June. Chinese tourism agencies have dismissed the “false rumors” circulating in the media for several months, with a source speaking to the Hong Kong-based news outlet speculating that the country may delay its opening through the latter half of the year.
As of July 2023, several Chinese travel agencies are listing North Korean tours on their websites, according to the Global Times. Speaking to the newspaper, a spokesman for one group offering trips to Pyongyang and Sinuiju, Young Pioneer Tours, noted that the listings were prepared in advance so as to resume businesses seamlessly once borders open.
Further hope was floated in late May after North Korean specialists 38 North noted a sudden uptick in maintenance activity among Air Koryo’s passenger fleet at Pyongyang Airport, with the flag carrier’s Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-134 and Tu-154 spotted cycling through the maintenance area of the airport on May 8. The carrier’s only two EU-approved Tu-204 moved for apparent servicing on May 18. 38 North could not verify the reasoning for the maintenance, though noted the unusual timing amid reports of trade resumption with China.
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“While Air Koryo aircraft have been in and out of the maintenance bay throughout the last twelve months, it is unusual that such a large number have been serviced in such a short period of time.” – 38 North
Air Koryo became a strictly domestic carrier after suspending international scheduled services in early 2020. While popular routes to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) and Vladivostok International Airport (VVO) are yet to resume, several flights have been spotted operating on FlightRadar24.com, with a noticeable ramp-up in operations between Pyongyang and Hamhung (DSO) through the summer of 2022 and into early 2023.
What are your thoughts on North Korea potentially reopening for tourism? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: 38 North, South China Morning Post, Mainichi Shimbun, NK News, The Global Times
Journalist – With a degree in journalism, Molly joins the team with an interest in aviation’s history, and its impact on politics, society, and culture. Molly has experience as a digital correspondent with Sky News. Based in Surrey, United Kingdom