North Korean airline opens new route to Chinese border city
Flight from Dandong to Pyongyang could be sign Beijing doesn’t want to isolate pariah state despite global condemnation over missile programme
A flight route officially opened between Pyongyang and the Chinese border city of Dandong on Tuesday to woo more tourists to the reclusive state despite strained ties between the two nations.
The launch of the route, operated by North Korea’s Air Koryo, is not a violation of international sanctions against Pyongyang, but could deliver the message that China does not want to act too harshly against its impoverished neighbour.
News of the service comes ahead of a planned summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Florida next week, where the two leaders are likely to discuss the North Korea nuclear issue.
Trump complained in a tweet earlier this month that North Korea was behaving very badly and China had done “little to help”.
Air Koryo crew welcomed disembarking passengers at Pyongyang International Airport with flowers after a flight from Dandong, which lies on the banks of the Yalu River in Liaoning (遼寧) province, Xinhua reported.
The Antonov An-148 plying the route can carry about 75 passengers and will make round trips on Tuesdays and Fridays.