(Beijing) North Korea’s first commercial flight in three years arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, according to the notice board seen by an AFP reporter at the Chinese capital’s airport.
North Korean Air Koryo flight JS151 from Pyongyang landed in Beijing at 9:17 a.m. (9:38 p.m. Eastern Time), according to this chart. The plane, a Tupolev Tu-204, took off from the North Korean capital at 8:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time), according to flight tracking apps Flightradar24 and Umetrip.
An Air Koryo flight, scheduled to land in Beijing on Monday, was abruptly canceled without giving any reason.
An Air Koryo representative contacted by AFP at the company’s office in Beijing said he had “no information” to provide.
North Korea suspended all commercial flights and closed its borders in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
But after three years of almost complete isolation, the North Korean regime has multiplied the signs of reopening in recent weeks.
In July, Chinese and Russian officials attended a large military parade in Pyongyang. They were the first foreign dignitaries to be seen in the country in years.
And last week, North Korea allowed a sports team to travel to Kazakhstan for a taekwondo competition.
According to the NK News site, which specializes in North Korea, Air Koryo is planning two flights between Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, and Pyongyang next Friday and Monday.
