List of Air Koryo destinations

Air Koryo[lower-alpha 1] is the flag carrier of North Korea,[1] owned by the country's National Aviation Administration of the DPRK, formerly the Air Koryo Administration.[2] It was established in early 1950, soon after the creation of the country's flag, as Soviet–North Korean Airline or SOKAO,[lower-alpha 2] a joint venture between the North Korean and Soviet governments operating flights between Pyongyang and Vladivostok, with select flights transiting in Chongjin, North Korea. More routes were then launched to serve cities of the Manchuria region in China: Beijing, as well as Chita via Shenyang, Harbin, Qiqihar, and Hailar. They were all operated using the Lisunov Li-2,[3] and as part of an alliance with Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot who sought to expand its network.[4]

An Air Koryo Tupolev Tu-204-100 at its hub, Pyongyang International Airport (pictured 2013)

Shortly after, the Korean War meant suspending services up to July 1953, when it was rebranded Ukamps and its network was shrinked to Pyongyang, Beijing, and Shenyang. It henceforth expanded its fleet, comprising Soviet Union products.[5] On 21 September 1955, it was rebranded again to Korean Airways,[lower-alpha 3] with ownership shifted to the North Korean government following the Civil Aviation Administration of Korea. Domestic flights to Hamhung, North Korea, were added in 1958, but due to the North Korean people's lack of income and restrictions on travel, all domestic flights were discontinued. European flights to Berlin, Prague, and Moscow were launched using their first jetliner, the Tupolev Tu-154. In March 1992, following the end of the Cold War, it was rebranded again to Air Koryo and operated cargo routes to Russia and China using the Ilyushin Il-76, however following an accident in 2006, the airline was restricted in European Union airspace due to safety concerns.[4]

Air Koryo saw various route cancelations with respect to its controversial government. On 20 April 2011, it launched flights to Kuala Lumpur,[6] with the last flight on 8 June 2014; it was later banned in 2017 due to sanctions following the assassination of Kim Jong-nam at the airport.[7] Also in 2011, flights to Kuwait City were launched, however six months later it was canceled to prevent North Koreans from spreading news of the Arab Spring to their homeland.[8] It later resumed in March 2014,[9] but in October 2016 the airline was banned by the Kuwaiti government, citing the United Nations Security Council's resolutions concerning North Korea.[10] That same year, flights to Bangkok too were canceled.[11] On 2 August 2019 following a 15-year pause, Air Koryo resumed flights to Macau.[12] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all flights were canceled starting February 2020. On 22 August 2023 after a day of delay, the airline resumed operations beginning with a flight to Beijing; there were also two flights to Vladivostok on 25 and 28 August.[13][14] The last Beijing flight was on 29 August; it was thus theorized the flights were only repatriating abroad North Korean citizens, and as bilateral token gestures.[15][16]