Summary
- Air Koryo, North Korea’s flag carrier, resumed business flights to Vladivostok after a three-year hiatus because of COVID-19 restrictions.
- The recent flight to Vladivostok didn’t have any passengers onboard, and the airline has not officially announced the flight schedules.
- The airline also reintroduced international operations with a flight to Beijing.
Air Koryo, North Korea’s state-owned flag carrier, returned to Vladivostok, a far eastern city in Russia, on Friday after a hiatus of greater than three years because of COVID-19 restrictions. The flight reportedly represents the resumption of business flights between the 2 countries.
The service is the second route Air Koryo has launched in light of easing pandemic restrictions. Earlier this week, the airline reintroduced international operations, flying to Beijing.
A flight without passengers
Based on The Korea Times, Russian news agency RIA Novosti confirmed that Air Koryo’s Vladivostok-bound flight departed from Pyongyang International Airport (FNJ) and arrived at 11:14. The plane, nevertheless, didn’t have any passengers onboard, and flight schedules weren’t officially announced.
Russian media outlets had indicated that flights were scheduled on Friday, however the flight schedules remained undisclosed. Despite any further information on the flight, passengers were reportedly seen preparing to board the aircraft to return to Pyongyang.
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The Korea Times reported that screens on the airport appeared to display some information concerning the flight, showing Air Koryo flight 272 would depart Vladivostok International Airport at 13:15. The flight, nevertheless, was delayed until 13:45 and the airport reportedly didn’t have additional details concerning the delay.
Reinstating the flights?
Around 15:10, the flight was assumed to have departed because the flight information was now not displayed within the airport. Based on The Korea Times, airport staff didn’t comment on the flight, but one person believed the flight was to bring back North Korean residents who were staying in Russia because of the border closure. It’s unclear whether passengers were onboard the return flight, but in line with Arirang News, one other Air Koryo flight is about to reach in Vladivostok on Monday.
Despite the lack of expertise, the airline has posted the fundamental fare of each newly introduced flights on its website. Flights from Vladivostok to Pyongyang start at $230, while Beijing to Pyongyang flights start at $240.
Photo: Attila JANDI/Shutterstock
Air Koryo operated semiweekly service to Vladivostok with the Tupolev Tu-204 aircraft but suspended the flights in February 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The flight was the one business air service between North Korea and Russia, in line with The Korea Times.
Travel from the US
North Korea has had a slow reopening of air travel because the country began allowing limited international passenger travel recently. Based on FOX Business, the nation’s travel infrastructure is primarily restricted to elites and doesn’t provide flights outside its few allies. Last month, the US Department of State issued a travel advisory warning travelers to not travel to North Korea.
the agency said.
The agency also said all US passports are invalid for travel to, in, or through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea unless they’re specially validated by the Secretary of State. The US Government may not provide emergency services to US residents stuck within the country since diplomatic or consular relations don’t exist.