On March 30, Air China resumed its direct flight between Beijing and Pyongyang after a 6-year hiatus, marking a new step in North Korea's cautious opening process.
Flight number CA121 departed Beijing International Airport at 7:58 am local time and was scheduled to land at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang at around 11:00 am on the same day. At Beijing Airport, passengers lined up to check in, showing that travel demand is starting to increase again.
The resumption of flights takes place in the context that North Korea has applied strict border closure measures since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing travel between the two countries to be significantly restricted. China has long been considered the largest trading partner and an important source of economic and diplomatic support for North Korea.
Although the air route has been restored, Pyongyang has not yet granted mass tourist visas, making most of the current passengers officials or people with special purposes. A Chinese businessman said that he expects tourism activities to be resumed soon, and assessed that flights and railway routes between the two countries may continue to increase in the near future.
Economy class ticket prices are recorded at around 200 USD, while the return flight from Pyongyang is scheduled to depart in the middle of the day. Previously, the daily passenger train route between the two countries was also resumed, although the number of passengers was still quite limited.
North Korea has gradually restored international connections since last year, when it resumed flights and railway services with Russia. Observers believe that Air China's return to operating this route helps increase Pyongyang's international connectivity, opening up prospects for trade and tourism activities in the future, although full opening still has many limitations.
