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Air China resumes flights to N. Korea after 6-year pause
The Straits Times
|March 31, 2026
Air China restarted direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang on March 30 after a six-year hiatus, another sign that isolated North Korea is gradually opening up following the resumption of train services between the capitals.
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China has acted as a lifeline for North Korea’s moribund economy as its largest trading partner and an important source of diplomatic and political support.
Access to North Korea has always been heavily restricted, but the country became almost entirely cut off when it sealed its borders in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Flight CA121 departed Beijing Capital International Airport at 7.58am on March 30, according to FlightStats data, and arrived at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport at 10.37am.
The plane was a Boeing 737-700 with capacity for up to 128 passengers, according to travel website Trip.com, though only travellers with business, study or other special purposes can make the cross-border journey.
China’s ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun and other Chinese diplomats greeted the passengers at the airport, Xinhua news agency said.
This story is from the March 31, 2026 edition of The Straits Times.
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