ZCZC
BCN-12
RUSSIA-NKOREA-AIRCRAFT
North Korea interested in buying Russian passenger planes – Russian senior
MP
PYONGYANG, April 15, 2019 (BSS/TASS) – North Korea is interested in buying
new Russian civil aircraft to boost flight safety, Sergei Neverov, a deputy
speaker of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house, who leads a Russian
parliamentary delegation visiting Pyongyang, told TASS on Sunday.
“At a meeting at the North Korean foreign ministry, we touched upon the
issue of civil aviation and flight safety. The North Korean side expressed
interest in buying new Russian planes,” he said. “We maintain air service
between Pyongyang and Vladivostok and, naturally, we would like to see more
advanced and safer planes serving this route.”
According to the senior Russian lawmaker, it would be in the interests both
of Russian passengers and “citizens of any country flying to Pyongyang,
including from Beijing, as these flights are also operated by North Korean
air companies.”
“We believe that such dialogue must be maintain as civil aviation is beyond
the United Nations Security Council’s claims to Pyongyang,” he added.
North Korea’s Air Koryo airlines traditionally uses Russian aircraft for
passenger flights. Russian Li-18 and Tu-154 planes are operated inside the
country and more comfortable Tu-204 planes are used to perform international
flights. The company performs flights from Pyongyang to Russia’s Vladivostok,
China’s Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang. Talks are underway on possible
charter flights to Hanoi and Ulan Ude.
The Russian delegation arrived in Pyongyang at an official invitation to
mark 70th anniversary of economic and cultural cooperation agreement signed
by the Soviet Union and North Korea.
BSS/TASS/HR/1425