Air China Set to Resume Direct Flights Between Beijing and Pyongyang

Beijing.  Air China is preparing to resume direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang starting March 30, AFP reported, citing the airline. Previously, rail services between the two capitals resumed last Thursday after a six-year hiatus.

China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a primary source of diplomatic, economic, and political support. However, travel between the two countries has been curtailed since 2020 following border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flight CA-121 is scheduled to depart from Beijing Airport for Pyongyang, with a return flight scheduled for the same day. North Korea's state-owned carrier, Air Koryo, had already resumed flights from Beijing to Pyongyang in 2023.

Chinese travel agencies have begun advertising tour packages to North Korea on social media, although there has been no official confirmation of tourism resumption.

The first passengers are expected to be students, workers, and individuals with cross-border family ties. While the flight announcement offers hope for tourism, there is still no confirmation regarding Western tourists.

Some foreign tourists visited North Korea in April 2025 to participate in the first Pyongyang Marathon since 2019.