Beijing said Monday it had approved the restart of passenger flights between China and North Korea to be operated by North Korea's state-run carrier Air Koryo, following the suspension of services since early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the planned resumption of flights after an Air Koryo flight from Pyongyang originally scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Monday was canceled.
Two flights from Pyongyang are also expected to arrive in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East on Friday and on Aug. 28, Tass news agency has quoted a local airport official as saying.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, North Korea shut its borders around the end of January and the beginning of February in 2020. Last year, Pyongyang resumed cargo services by train and truck to and from China and Russia.
About 50 people believed to be North Korean athletes bound for Kazakhstan for an international taekwondo event arrived last Wednesday in China's border city of Dandong by bus, marking the first time that Pyongyang has sent a domestic sports team overseas since the borders closed.
