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CHINA-NKOREA-AVIATION-DIPLOMACY
Air China resumes Beijing-Pyongyang flights
BEIJING, June 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Flag carrier Air China is resuming
flights between Beijing and Pyongyang after a five-month suspension, its
website showed on Wednesday, as ties between the neighbouring nations
improve.
The resumption comes as China has sought to mend ties with its Cold War
ally ahead of a planned summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US
President Donald Trump on June 12.
Air China last November indefinitely suspended flights between Beijing and
Pyongyang as bilateral ties were frayed by China’s decision to support UN
sanctions to curb North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
Prior to the suspension, China’s flagship carrier had last year reduced
the frequency of flights to North Korea citing low demand from business
travellers and tourists visiting the country.
“We are resuming flights for Pyongyang,” said a woman who answered the
phone on Air China’s service line on Tuesday.
The company’s website showed that the airline will operate three flights
per week from Beijing to Pyongyang on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
afternoons. A one-way economy class ticket was priced at 1,770 yuan ($276).
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1610 hrs