Air China resumes direct flights to North Korea

On March 30, Air China, the country’s flag carrier, restored direct flight operations linking Beijing and Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, after a six-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Associated Press reported.

According to the Chinese state media agency Xinhua, the aircraft en route to the North Korean capital landed at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, where passengers were greeted by China’s ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, along with other Chinese diplomats.

Notably, North Korea’s airline Air Koryo resumed flights between the two capitals in 2023, and in the most recent development, passenger train services were resumed earlier this month.

Previously, the country canceled the Pyongyang Marathon scheduled for April 2026 — one of its international events — without specifying the reasons, Beijing-based tour agency Koryo Tours said. Notably, media reports indicated that the event had sold out in December.