Beijing, Mar 30: China’s flag carrier Air China on Monday resumed direct flights between Beijing and North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, shortly after passenger train services between the two cities were restored.
The flight was received by China’s ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, along with other diplomats, according to state media. Passenger train services between the two countries had resumed earlier on March 12.
Air and rail links between China and North Korea had remained suspended since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
North Korea’s national carrier Air Koryo had already resumed flights between the capitals in 2023.
During the pandemic, North Korea had imposed a complete ban on foreign tourists, but restrictions have gradually eased, with a Russian tour group entering the country in 2024.
Before the ban, Chinese tourists accounted for nearly 90 per cent of all visitors to North Korea, and the delay in resuming group tours had surprised observers.
China remains North Korea’s largest trading partner and a key ally, although Beijing has, at times, expressed concern over Pyongyang’s missile tests targeting South Korea and the United States.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing in September to attend a major military parade, marking the first such حضور by a North Korean leader in decades. (Agency)
