Air China plans to resume passenger flights between Beijing and Pyongyang at the end of March, restoring one of the few international air connections to North Korea.
According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, the Chinese carrier intends to restart service between Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) and Pyongyang Sunan International Airport (FNJ) on March 30. The route will initially operate once a week using Boeing 737-700 aircraft, offering about 256 two-way weekly seats.
The move marks the return of Air China’s scheduled passenger service to North Korea for the first time since early 2020, when the airline suspended flights as countries began imposing travel restrictions at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the suspension, Air China had operated PEK-FNJ service up to three times per week.
The Beijing-Pyongyang route is one of the most significant international air connections for North Korea, linking the country with its largest trading partner. North Korean state-owned carrier Air Koryo currently operates the 486-mi. (422-nm) route twice a week, as well as offering a 2X-weekly service to Shenyang in northeastern China. The carrier also provides 3X-weekly flights to Vladivostok in Russia. Air Koryo uses Antonov An-148-100 aircraft on the Chinese routes and Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft on the Vladivostok service, OAG data shows.
The resumption of the Beijing flights comes as North Korea cautiously restores cross-border transportation links that were halted during the pandemic. Earlier in March, passenger rail services between China and North Korea resumed after a six-year suspension.
China Railway said trains between Beijing and Pyongyang now operate four times per week, while daily services have restarted between the Chinese border city of Dandong and the North Korean capital.
North Korea sealed its borders in early 2020 and maintained some of the world’s strictest pandemic controls for several years, gradually easing restrictions beginning in 2024 with the limited return of international tourists.
China remains North Korea’s largest trading partner, accounting for the majority of the country’s foreign trade. Figures published by China’s General Administration of Customs show bilateral trade between the countries reached about $2.74 billion in 2025, a 25% increase compared with the previous year. However, trade volumes remain well below levels seen before international sanctions tightened following North Korea’s ballistic missile tests in 2017.
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