Air China to resume Beijing–Pyongyang flights as China–North Korea travel links reopen

Air China is set to resume weekly flights between Beijing and Pyongyang from 30 March, according to information shared by tour operator Young Pioneer Tours.

The route restart follows the resumption of passenger train services between China and North Korea, which had been suspended since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The first passenger train from Beijing arrived in Pyongyang on Friday after cross-border rail services resumed earlier in the week. The Beijing–Pyongyang rail route is scheduled to operate four times per week, while a separate line between Dandong and Pyongyang runs daily in both directions.

According to Rowan Beard, co-founder of Young Pioneer Tours, the simultaneous reopening of air and rail links raises hopes that tourism to North Korea could gradually return, although travel to the country remains tightly restricted. Independent tourism is not permitted, and only a limited number of specialised tour operators are allowed to organise group tours for Western visitors.

North Korea remains largely closed to foreign tourism, with only a small number of organised tours currently allowed under controlled arrangements.