Air China resumes Beijing-Pyongyang service: North Korea remains closed to tourism

The company Air China is preparing to relaunch its direct air service between Beijing and Pyongyang from March 30, 2026. This resumption comes after the almost total closure of North Korean borders for six years, following the COVID-19 pandemic. While this reopening marks a milestone in the re-establishment of connections between China and North Korea, it takes place in a diplomatic and economic context where leisure tourism remains strictly controlled.

Star Alliance member Air China has announced that flight CA121, operated by Boeing 737-700, will serve Pyongyang every Monday. The flight will depart Beijing at 8:05 a.m. local time and arrive in Pyongyang at 11:00 a.m.. The return flight is scheduled for the same day at noon. Initially, there will be a weekly return flight until May 18, before increasing to two monthly flights in June.

This resumption of air service comes shortly after the international passenger train between Beijing and Pyongyang was reopened on March 12, 2026. This rail service, suspended since 2020, now operates four trains a week in each direction, with a journey time of around 24 hours. Customs formalities are carried out in Dandong (China) and Sinuiju (North Korea).

A train that runs, but not yet for tourists

The Chinese authorities stress that these air and rail links are intended to strengthen the friendly ties between China and North Korea. However, they insist that the first eligible passengers are mainly diplomats and professionals. North Korea remains officially closed to foreign leisure tourists. Specialized travel operators such as Young Pioneer Tours confirm that the country remains largely closed, with the exception of a few Russian nationals admitted under a highly controlled regime. No official timetable has been given for a general reopening to international visitors.

Despite the optimism generated by the resumption of flights and trains, experts remind us that tourism in North Korea remains subject to strict controls. The lifting of the quarantine does not mean the end of generalized confinement for visitors.

North Korean tourism: maximum supervision

North Korea is known as one of the most closely watched destinations in the world. Foreign visits are almost entirely state-controlled. Travellers are obliged to take tours organized by approved agencies, to follow predefined itineraries and to be accompanied at all times by official guides. Independent travel is prohibited, and photography is regulated, particularly around military sites and sensitive areas.

For Air China, The resumption of the Beijing-Pyongyang route represents more of a symbolic gesture than a major growth driver. The choice of a Boeing 737-700, rather than a larger aircraft, reflects the limited demand and the low proportion of ordinary passengers likely to travel, given the current exclusion of Western tourists.

The resumption of commercial flights between Beijing and Pyongyang is a sign of the gradual normalization of Sino-North Korean relations, but above all it underlines the maintenance of a highly restrictive border control policy in North Korea, particularly with regard to international tourism.