Air China to resume weekly Beijing-Pyongyang flights from late March
March 17, 2026
Air China has announced that it will resume weekly flights between Beijing and Pyongyang from the end of March. The two countries have also reestablished their passenger train links.
Air China to resume flights to Pyongyang
Having suspended flights to Pyongyang six years ago due to COVID-19, Air China is to reestablish flights. The flights will operate every Monday.
Reuters reported, “Cross-border flights and train services between China and North Korea were halted when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020. The two countries also resumed passenger train service last week.”
The flights are listed as around $400 one-way from Beijing and around $660 for a round trip.
The news was announced by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on the 16th of March, and it said it would facilitate friendly exchanges between the two peoples.
🇨🇳 🇰🇵 China and North Korea reopen passenger train service
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 13, 2026
Railway enthusiasts have flocked to join the first train from China's capital Beijing to North Korea's capital Pyongyang, six years after the international rail service was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/zFmUWMYa8J
It is unclear why it has taken this long for North Korea to reopen the train line and to attract Chinese commercial flights.
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North Korea’s Air Koryo already had flights to Beijing
North Korea’s Air Koryo flag carrier has been the main airline connecting North Korea with Eastern Russia and with China. These are the only two countries that operate scheduled passenger flights to North Korea.
Data from Flightradar24 shows that on Monday, Pyongyang recieved a single commercial flight, an Air Koryo flight from Vladivostok. The only arriving flight shown scheduled for today is an Air Koryo flight from Beijing.
Wednesday is to have two inbound flights, one from Russia’s Vladivostok and one from China’s northern city of Shenyang. Both are operated by Air Koryo.
- Pyongyang Sunan International Airport’s international flights:
- Moscow-Sheremetyevo: Operated by Nordwind monthly
- Vladivostok: Operated by Air Koryo three times weekly
- Shengyang-Taoxian: Operated by Air Koryo three times weekly
- Beijing-Capital: Operated by Air Koryo three times weekly, and Air China weekly
According to Planespotters.net, Air Koryo currently has a fleet of four aircraft made up of two An-148s and two Tupolev Tu-204s.
Pyongyang’s connections with Russia
Russia’s Nordwind airline reestablished flights with North Korea in July 2025. That said, these flights are largely symbolic, operating once a month.
At the same time, Russia and North Korea are building a new road bridge that will significantly boost the connection between the two countries.
As of the time of writing, the next available fare on Nordwind’s website is on the 27th of March. The flight departs Moscow Sheremetyevo with a flight time of eight hours. The flight is with an Airbus A330-200, and the listed price starts from 45,015 Rubles or around $555 one-way.
The main connection for Russians visiting North Korea appears to be through Vladivostok.
Train connecting China and North Korea arrives in Pyongyang after 6-year hiatus
— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) March 12, 2026
➡️ https://t.co/6Allu8iZLX pic.twitter.com/5WC21C8aoW
Relations between Russia and North Korea have warmed since 2022 in the context of the war in Ukraine and international isolation. Russia has needed North Korean military aid, especially in artillery shells, to keep up its rate of fire as its own formerly massive stockpiles withered.
Both countries are also keen to show they are not isolated. In 2025, North Korea unveiled a new beachside resort that it said at the time was only accepting Russian tourists.
Featured Image: N509FZ / Wikimedia
