China resumes direct flights to North Korea after six-year suspension

Key facts

• Air China resumed direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang on Monday, 30 March 2026.
• The flight was welcomed by Chinese ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun and other diplomats.
• Passenger train service from China to North Korea had resumed on 12 March 2026.
• Flights and passenger trains to North Korea were suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
• North Korean carrier Air Koryo resumed flights between the capitals in 2023.
• North Korea banned all foreign tourists during the pandemic and began easing restrictions with a Russian tour group entering in 2024.
• Chinese tour groups accounted for 90% of all visitors to North Korea prior to the ban.
• China is Pyongyang’s biggest trading partner and major ally.
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a Chinese military parade in Beijing in September, the first such attendance in decades.