Air China suspends flights between Beijing, Pyongyang
Airline cites poor demand, with halt to services coming amid strained relations between the two nations over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme
Air China has indefinitely suspended flights between Beijing and Pyongyang, citing poor demand as North Korea faces growing sanctions from the United States over its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.
An official in the company’s Beijing-based press office, who did not give his full name, said on Wednesday that flights were suspended because “business was not good”. He declined to comment on when flights might resume.
The suspension by China’s national flag carrier comes soon after a visit by a senior Chinese envoy to the city and also coincides with a US decision to put North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Air China flights to Pyongyang, which have traditionally operated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, began in 2008, but have frequently been cancelled because of unspecified problems, state media has said.
