{{Short description|National airline of North Korea}} {{Redirect-for|Korean Airways|the South Korean flag carrier|Korean Air}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox airline | airline = Air Koryo <br/>고려항공 | logo = Air Koryo 2024.svg | logo_size = | image = P-632@PEK_(20251209093400).jpg | caption = An Air Koryo Tupolev Tu-204 | fleet_size = 6 (for international routes) | destinations = 4 | IATA = JS{{sfn|IATA|2023}} | ICAO = KOR{{sfn|IATA|2023}} | callsign = AIR KORYO | founded = {{Start date and age|1955|09|21|df=yes|br=y}}<br />(as ''Korean Airways'') | aoc = | hubs = Pyongyang International Airport | focus_cities = Beijing, Shenyang, Vladivostok | parent = National Aviation Administration of the DPRK<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 September 2021 |title=Kim Jong Un suggests restoring inter-Korean hotlines in early October |url=https://www.nknews.org/2021/09/kim-jong-un-suggests-restoring-inter-korean-hotlines-in-early-october/ |access-date=30 September 2021 |website=NK News |archive-date=29 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429173653/https://www.nknews.org/2021/09/kim-jong-un-suggests-restoring-inter-korean-hotlines-in-early-october/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | company_slogan = | num_employees = | headquarters = Ryongbung-ri, Sunan District, Pyongyang, North Korea | key_people = An Pyong-chil (Director of the General Bureau of Civil Aviation) | frequent_flyer = | alliance = | subsidiaries = | website = {{URL|www.airkoryo.com.kp}} | notes = }} {{Infobox Korean name/auto |hangul=^고려_항공 |hanja=高麗航空 }}
'''Air Koryo''' ({{korean|hangul=고려항공}}) is North Korea's flag carrier and only commercial airline.{{sfn|United Nations Panel of Experts|2014}} It is state-owned and controlled by the North Korean air force.{{sfn|United Nations Panel of Experts|2014}} Headquartered in Sunan-guyŏk, Pyongyang,<ref name="www.timetableimages.com">{{Cite web |title=Air Koryo |url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/js9510.htm |access-date=20 December 2025 |website=www.timetableimages.com}}</ref> it operates domestic and international routes{{snd}}on a regular schedule only to Beijing, Shenyang, and Vladivostok{{sfn|Zwirko|2023}}<ref name="timet1">{{cite news |year=2024 |title=Time Table |url=http://www.airkoryo.com.kp/flight/timetable |work=Air Koryo |access-date=17 June 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Sokolin|2023b}}{{snd}}from its hub at Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport.<ref name="FI">{{Cite news |date=27 March 2007 |title=Directory: World Airlines |page=59 |work=Flight International}}</ref> It also operates flights on behalf of the North Korean government, with one of its aircraft serving as North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un's personal plane.{{sfn|Morris|Smith|2018}}{{sfn|O'Carroll|2019}}{{sfn|Petchenik|2020}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aerotelegraph.com/nordkorea-kim-jong-un-bekommt-eigenes-praesidentenflugzeug |title=Kim Jong-un hat seinen eigenen Jet |trans-title=Kim Jong-un has his own jet |last=Eiselin |first=Stefan |date=13 May 2014 |website=aerotelegraph.com |publisher=Aerotelegraph AGB |language=de |access-date=14 June 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515000642/https://www.aerotelegraph.com/nordkorea-kim-jong-un-bekommt-eigenes-praesidentenflugzeug |archive-date=15 May 2014}}</ref> Its small fleet consists of Ilyushin and Tupolev aircraft from the Soviet Union and Russia, and Antonovs from the Soviet Union and Ukraine.
The carrier's history can be traced to the founding of the '''Soviet–North Korean Airline''' ('''SOKAO''') in 1950.{{sfn|Davies|1997|p=534}} Following the Korean War, in 1955, the airline was reorganized as '''Korean Airways''' and started domestic and international routes to other communist Eastern Bloc states in Asia and Europe.{{sfn|World Airlines Survey|1961|p=512}} Another reorganization followed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and in 1993, the airline adopted its current name, Air Koryo.{{sfn|Haynes|2020}} Due to its aging fleet of Soviet aircraft and related safety and maintenance concerns, Air Koryo was banned in the European Union between 2006 and 2020, when it was allowed to resume operations into the EU with their newly acquired Tu-204 aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The EU Air Safety List |url=https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/eu-air-safety-list_en |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=European Commission for Transport |publisher=European Commission |archive-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022074625/https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/eu-air-safety-list_en |url-status=live }}</ref>
In recent years the airline has also started branching out into commercial sectors beyond aviation, such as ground transportation and consumer goods.{{sfn|O'Carroll|2017}} Regular operations were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, with no scheduled international flights between 2020 and 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 August 2023 |title=North Korea airline flies first international flight since Covid |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66578171 |access-date=22 August 2023 |archive-date=22 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822110811/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66578171 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==History== ===Early years=== [[File:Flugverbindung Hamhung - Pjöngyang.jpg|thumb|Korean Airways aircraft with German Working Group Hamhung staff (1958)]] thumb|Korean Airways logo
'''SOKAO''' ('''Soviet–Korean Airline''', {{Korean/auto|hangul=^소련-^조선_항공|hanja=蘇聯-朝鮮航空|mr=yes|labels=no}}) was established as a joint North Korean-Soviet venture in early 1950 to connect Pyongyang with Moscow.{{sfn|Davies|1997|p=534}}{{sfn|World Airlines Survey|1961|p=512}} Regular flights began that same year.<ref>{{Cite book |last=MacDonald |first=Hugh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=18tYAAAAMAAJ |title=Aėroflot: Soviet air transport since 1923 |publisher=Putnam |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-370-00117-3 |location=London |page=66 |access-date=25 August 2017 |archive-date=16 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230916065248/https://books.google.com/books?id=18tYAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Services were suspended during the Korean War, resuming in 1953 under the name '''Ukamps''' run by the North Korean Bureau of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transport with service between Pyongyang, Beijing, and Shenyang. The state airline was then placed under the control of the '''Civil Aviation Administration of Korea''' ('''CAAK''') and re-branded '''Korean Airways''' ({{Korean/auto|hangul=^조선_민항|hanja=朝鮮民航|mr=yes|labels=no}}), starting operations on 21 September 1955 with Lisunov Li-2, Antonov An-2 and Ilyushin Il-12 aircraft. Ilyushin Il-14s and Ilyushin Il-18s were added to the fleet in the 1960s.<ref name="FI" />{{sfn|World Airlines Survey|1961|p=512}}{{sfn|World Airlines Survey|1969|p=567}}
===Expansion=== North Korea, along with some of the Warsaw nations reportedly expressed interest when the Soviet Tu-104 was introduced in 1956, even ordering a demonstration flight to Pyongyang that year. However, such an advanced and expensive type was not suitable for the nation's economic conditions at that time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tupolew / Tupolev Tu-104 - Specifications - Technical Data / Description |url=https://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acdata_php/acdata_tu104_en.php |access-date=16 January 2026 |website=www.flugzeuginfo.net}}</ref> Jet operations commenced two decades later in 1975 when the first Tupolev Tu-154 was delivered for service from Pyongyang to Prague, East Berlin, and Moscow with refueling stops in Irkutsk and Novosibirsk, as the Tu-154 had insufficient range. Tu-134s and An-24s were also delivered to start domestic services.<ref name="GlobSec"/> From 1969 until the later 1980s, China had no direct flights to the USSR and vice-versa as a result of the Sino-Soviet Split. The occasional official travellers between the superpowers often transited through Pyongyang, served by both Aeroflot and CAAC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wills |first=Matthew |date=17 January 2024 |title=A Messy Divorce: The Sino-Soviet Split |url=https://daily.jstor.org/a-messy-divorce-the-sino-soviet-split/ |access-date=24 January 2026 |website=JSTOR Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> The regime took advantage of Pyongyang's position of being the most practical transit point as the only airport in the world that had flights both to China and the USSR, charging exorbitant landing fees for these airlines. The Tu-154 fleet was increased at the start of the 1980s, while the first long-haul Ilyushin Il-62 was delivered back in 1979 (two of these aircraft are used in VIP configuration),<ref name="russianplanes.net"/> allowing Korean Airways to offer a direct non-stop service to Moscow for the first time, as well as serving Sofia and Belgrade.{{sfn|Haynes|2020}}
Alongside Soviet aircraft, North Korea also considered acquiring Concorde supersonic jets for Air Koryo under a plan by Kim Il Sung to boost the country's international prestige. North Korea and Aérospatiale and British Aerospace{{snd}}Concorde's two European manufacturers{{snd}}signed a preliminary purchase agreement with the country for two Concordes in 1979, but the deal never proceeded because of North Korea's economic challenges and Cold War tensions between East and West.<ref>{{Cite web |last=linapark |date=3 May 2024 |title=Flight of the Concorde? North Korea’s brief flirtation with supersonic airliners {{!}} NK News |url=https://www.nknews.org/2024/05/flight-of-the-concorde-north-koreas-brief-flirtation-with-supersonic-airliners/ |access-date=16 January 2026 |website=NK News - North Korea News |language=en-US}}</ref> The original plan was to acquire the Tu-144 from friendly USSR, and Chosonminhang pilots were flown to Russia to begin training for the type. However Soviet aviation authorities were hesitant to allow the sale to proceed due to fear of compromising sensitive military technology and refused to build their order.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aircraft Factsheets: Tu-144 |url=http://www.aviamagazine.com/factsheets/aircraft/tu144/index.aspx |access-date=16 January 2026 |website=Aviamagazine.com}}</ref> Air Koryo was the only foreign airline who expressed interest in China's failed Y-10 passenger liner during the early '80s, believing it to be a cheaper alternative to Soviet transports.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Classic Airliner: The Shanghai Y-10 – China’s First Commercial Airliner : AirlineReporter |url=https://www.airlinereporter.com/2013/12/classic-airliner-the-shanghai-y-10-chinas-first-commercial-airliner/ |access-date=24 January 2026 |website=www.airlinereporter.com}}</ref> During the 1990s, in an effort to boost relations with the US manufacturing/engineering industry following the massive Agreed Framework, Air Koryo attempted to purchase McDonnell Douglas MD-80 based passenger liners to replace its ageing Tu-134 fleet for intermediate international flights, forging very good relations with the aerial giant. The deal went so far that Air Koryo decided to place the MD-82 as a fleet member on one of its brochures in 1996<ref name="www.timetableimages.com" />, but pressure from MD shareholders and senior US Government officials forced the cancellation of the deal.
===21st century=== [[File:AirKoryoticketoffice.jpg|thumb|Air Koryo office in Pyongyang]] [[File:Air_Koryo_Tupolev_Tu-204_aisle.jpg|thumb|Interior of an Air Koryo Tupolev Tu-204]] thumb|Air Koryo Tupolev Tu-204 at Pyongyang International Airport
The end of the Cold War and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe saw a vast reduction in the number of international services offered. '''Korean Airways''' re-branded as '''Air Koryo''' on 28 March 1992, and in 1993, ordered three Ilyushin Il-76 freight aircraft to carry cargo to and from its destinations in China and Russia.<ref name="GlobSec">{{cite web |url=https://premium.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/air-koryo.htm |title=Air Koryo |date=30 June 2021 |website=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Haynes|2020}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theaviationist.com/2013/08/14/nk-il-76/ |title=This is the first image of a North Korean militarized, camouflaged Il-76 cargo plane |last=Cenciotti |first=David |date=14 August 2013 |website=The Aviationist |location=Rome |access-date=16 June 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816145537/https://theaviationist.com/2013/08/14/nk-il-76/ |archive-date=16 August 2013}}</ref>
Air Koryo purchased a Tupolev Tu-204-300 aircraft in December 2007 and another in March 2010 to replace its aging international fleet. With the Tu-204, Air Koryo would be able to fly to Europe.<ref>[http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/north%20korea/airkoryo.htm Air Koryo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030014704/http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/north%20korea/airkoryo.htm |date=30 October 2015 }} Asian Info, Retrieved 25 January 2015</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2009 |title=North Korea's quirky (and unsafe) Air Koryo survives and, increasingly, appears to thrive |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/18/business/AS-FEA-FIN-NKorea-Spunky-Flagship.php?page=1 |access-date=9 October 2010 |website=International Herald Tribune |archive-date=1 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001222435/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/18/business/AS-FEA-FIN-NKorea-Spunky-Flagship.php?page=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Due to safety and maintenance concerns, Air Koryo was added to the list of air carriers banned in the European Union in March 2006. The European Commission found evidence of serious safety deficiencies on the part of Air Koryo during ramp inspections in France and Germany. Air Koryo persistently failed to address these issues during other subsequent ramp inspections performed by the EU under the SAFA programme, pointing to blatant systemic safety deficiencies at Air Koryo operations. The airline failed to reply to an inquiry by the French Civil Aviation Authority regarding its safety operations, pointing to a lack of transparency or communication on the part of Air Koryo. The plan by Air Koryo for corrective action, presented in response to France's request, was found to be inadequate and insufficient. The EC also held that North Korean authorities did not adequately oversee the flag carrier, which it was obliged to do under the Chicago Convention. Therefore, on the basis of the common criteria,<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/safety/flywell_en.htm Fly Well portal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060725092223/http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/safety/flywell_en.htm |date=25 July 2006 }} (Which contains links to the common air transport policy), ''European Commission'', 22 March 2006</ref> the Commission assessed that Air Koryo did not meet the relevant safety standards.''<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_084/l_08420060323en00140028.pdf Commission Regulation (EC) No 474/2006 of 22 March 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015062933/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_084/l_08420060323en00140028.pdf |date=15 October 2013 }} (PDF-file), ''European Commission'', 22 March 2006</ref>''
In September 2009, Air Koryo ordered an additional Tupolev Tu-204-300 and a single Tupolev Tu-204-100. Air Koryo was to receive its first of two Tupolev Tu-204-100B aircraft fitted with 210 seats. Flights to Dalian in China were added to the Air Koryo schedule. Also, twice weekly Tu-134 flights from Pyongyang and direct services from Pyongyang to Shanghai Pudong were inaugurated with a two weekly service on JS522 and returning on JS523<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 July 2010 |title=North Korean Economy Watch » Blog Archive » Air Koryo launches Shanghai-Pyongyang flights |url=http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2010/07/28/air-koryo-launches-shanghai-pyongyang-flights/ |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Nkeconwatch.com |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629160421/http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2010/07/28/air-koryo-launches-shanghai-pyongyang-flights/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in 2010.{{cn|date=May 2026}}
In March 2010, Air Koryo was allowed to resume operations into the EU only with their Tu-204 aircraft, which were fitted with the necessary equipment to comply with mandatory international standards.<ref name="businessweek.com" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2010 |title=Commission updates the list of airlines banned from the European airspace |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-10-388_en.htm |publisher=Europa Press Release Database |access-date=12 October 2013 |archive-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812195044/http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-10-388_en.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 January 2010 |title=EU Upholds Flight Ban |publisher=Radio Free Asia |url=http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/flight-ban-01132010092918.html |access-date=11 February 2010 |archive-date=11 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711163741/http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/flight-ban-01132010092918.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2011, Air Koryo launched its first services to Malaysia with the inauguration of flights from Pyongyang to Kuala Lumpur.<ref>[http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20110419155916/Article/index_html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426141021/http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20110419155916/Article/index_html|date=26 April 2011}}</ref> The flights operated twice a week utilizing the Tu-204, but were cancelled in mid-2017 due to sanctions imposed resulting from the poisoning murder of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by suspected North Korean agents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 February 2017 |title=North Korean leader's brother Kim Jong-nam killed in Malaysia |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38971655 |access-date=14 February 2017 |website=BBC News |archive-date=14 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214134205/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38971655 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2011, Air Koryo also inaugurated services to Kuwait City, being operated weekly by Tu-204 aircraft. The services operate during peak travel season – April to October.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Al – Malek International Group |url=http://almalekint.com/airkorya.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110708040225/http://almalekint.com/airkorya.html |archive-date=8 July 2011 |access-date=25 October 2012 |publisher=Almalekint.com}}</ref>thumb|Antonov-148-100BIn 2012, Air Koryo resumed flights to Kuala Lumpur but ceased the service in 2014 along with its expansion into Harbin, China.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 February 2012 |title=Air Koryo to Start Pyongyang – Harbin Charter service from late-Apr 2012 |url=http://airlineroute.net/2012/02/23/js-hrb-apr12/ |access-date=15 August 2013 |publisher=Airline Route |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215200/http://airlineroute.net/2012/02/23/js-hrb-apr12/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 March 2012 |title=Air Koryo S12 Operation Changes to Kuala Lumpur|url=http://airlineroute.net/2012/03/19/js-kul-s12/ |access-date=15 August 2013 |publisher=Airline Route |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220209/http://airlineroute.net/2012/03/19/js-kul-s12/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012, Juche Travel Services, a company operating tours to North Korea, launched "aviation enthusiast" tours using chartered Air Koryo aircraft, which offered visitors the chance to fly on every type of Air Koryo aircraft within North Korea, the Mil-17, An-24, Tu-134, Tu-154, and Il-62. The international services were operated by An-148, Tu-154, or Tu-204.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cripps |first=Karla |date=26 April 2016 |title=North Korea: Ultimate tour for aviation geeks |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/north-korea-aviation-tour/index.html |access-date=2 February 2019 |website=CNN Travel |language=en |archive-date=5 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805154758/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/north-korea-aviation-tour/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2017, during the rule of North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un, there were signs that Air Koryo was branching out into commercial sectors beyond aviation, providing goods and services as diverse as petrol stations, taxis, tobacco, soft drinks, and tinned pheasant meat.{{sfn|O'Carroll|2017}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Bryan |year=2017 |title=North Korea begins journey from feudalism to crony capitalism |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/db738fb8-3ed2-11e7-82b6-896b95f30f58 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 June 2017 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/db738fb8-3ed2-11e7-82b6-896b95f30f58 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |quote=Air Koryo, the national airline, which also runs one of Pyongyang's handful of taxi companies and recently began selling tinned pheasant, also fits the bill.}}</ref>
As of 2021, two further Tupolev Tu-204-100B aircraft were allegedly prepared to be leased to Air Koryo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 June 2020 |title=North Korea may have planned to acquire two Russian planes, despite sanctions |url=https://www.nknews.org/2020/06/north-korea-may-have-planned-to-acquire-two-russian-planes-despite-sanctions/ |access-date=14 March 2021 |website=NK News |language=en-US |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201213817/https://www.nknews.org/2020/06/north-korea-may-have-planned-to-acquire-two-russian-planes-despite-sanctions/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, both have since been sighted with the name of Sky KG Airlines added on top of Air Koryo's colors and have been moved to Zhukovsky International Airport by Moscow, where they remain as of November 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tu-204-100 c/n 1450744864049 |url=https://www.scramble.nl/database/soviet/details/183_69688 |access-date=4 February 2025 |website=Soviet Transport Database }}</ref> Intelligence and media reports suggest that North Korea might still be trying to acquire these two jets with Russian assistance as of November 2023.{{sfn|Zwirko|2023}}
===COVID-19 pandemic=== {{see also|COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea}} Air Koryo was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On 24 January 2020, the airline canceled several flights to China{{snd}}to Macao, Shanghai, and Shenyang{{snd}}and on 1 February canceled its two remaining international routes to Beijing and Vladivostok.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zwirko |first1=Colin |date=24 January 2020 |title=Multiple flights between North Korea and China canceled amid coronavirus scare |url=https://www.nknews.org/2020/01/multiple-flights-between-north-korea-and-china-canceled-amid-coronavirus-scare/ |url-status=live |editor1-last=Fretwell |editor1-first=James |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225224101/https://www.nknews.org/2020/01/multiple-flights-between-north-korea-and-china-canceled-amid-coronavirus-scare/ |archive-date=25 February 2024 |access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Carroll |first1=Chad |date=1 February 2020 |title=North Korea suspends Vladivostok flights, expands virus containment measures |url=https://www.nknews.org/2020/02/north-korea-suspends-vladivostok-flights-expands-virus-containment-measures/ |url-status=live |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003141626/https://www.nknews.org/2020/02/north-korea-suspends-vladivostok-flights-expands-virus-containment-measures/ |archive-date=3 October 2023 |access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref> International flights remained canceled through August 2023, flying anew on 22 August to Beijing and on 25 August to Vladivostok using Tu–204 aircraft.{{sfn|Sokolin|2023a}}<ref>{{cite news |last= Yong |first= Nicholas |date= 22 August 2023 |title= North Korea airline flies first international flight since Covid |work= BBC News |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66578171 |access-date= 5 October 2024 }}</ref>
The company flew to neighboring China to collect COVID-19-related supplies.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 May 2022 |title=North Korean planes pick up medical supplies in China, media report |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korean-planes-pick-up-medical-supplies-china-media-2022-05-17/ |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716120304/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korean-planes-pick-up-medical-supplies-china-media-2022-05-17/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zwirko |first=Colin |date=17 May 2022 |title=North Korean jets fly to China to pick up pandemic supplies: Sources |url=https://www.nknews.org/2022/05/north-korean-jets-fly-to-china-to-pick-up-pandemic-supplies-sources/ |access-date=16 July 2023 |website=NK News |language=en-US |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716120305/https://www.nknews.org/2022/05/north-korean-jets-fly-to-china-to-pick-up-pandemic-supplies-sources/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Destinations== {{main|List of Air Koryo destinations}} Scheduled international services are only operated from Pyongyang to Beijing, Shenyang, and Vladivostok.{{sfn|Zwirko|2023}}<ref name="timet1" />{{sfn|Sokolin|2023a}} Additional destinations not listed on their website are noted elsewhere as charters or seasonal services.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Air Koryo – The Official Webpage of the national airline of the DPRK |url=http://www.korea-dpr.com//Air%20Koryo/destinations.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016110259/http://www.korea-dpr.com//Air%20Koryo/destinations.htm |archive-date=16 October 2009 |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Korea-dpr.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How to get to North Korea |url=http://www.koreakonsult.com/hur-tar-man-sig-dit_eng.html |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Koreakonsult.com |archive-date=1 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101170540/http://www.koreakonsult.com/hur-tar-man-sig-dit_eng.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 October 2008 |title=Airport Departures & Arrivals |url=http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByAirport.do?airport=(FNJ)+Sunan%2C+Pyongyang%2C+KP&airportQueryDate=2008-10-30&airportQueryTime=0&airlineToFilter=&airportQueryType=0&x=43&y=12 |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Flightstats.com |archive-date=26 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126065233/http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByAirport.do?airport=(FNJ)+Sunan,+Pyongyang,+KP&airportQueryDate=2008-10-30&airportQueryTime=0&airlineToFilter=&airportQueryType=0&x=43&y=12 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Air Koryo – The Official Webpage of the national airline of the DPRK |url=http://www.korea-dpr.com//Air%20Koryo/hist3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110605055542/http://www.korea-dpr.com//Air%20Koryo/hist3.htm |archive-date=5 June 2011 |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Korea-dpr.com }}</ref>
The first regular charter flights between North Korea and South Korea began in 2003. The first Air Koryo flight operated by a Tu-154 touched down at Seoul's Incheon International Airport. Air Koryo operated 40 return services to Seoul, along with flights into Yangyang and Busan in South Korea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=air koryo | 2003 | 2045 | Flight Archive |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2003/2003%20-%202045.html?search=air%20koryo |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Flightglobal.com |archive-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315071715/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2003/2003%20-%202045.html?search=air%20koryo |url-status=live }}</ref> Inter-Korean charters from Hamhung's Sondok Airport to Yangyang International in South Korea began in 2002.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 July 2002 |title=N. Korean plane to test-fly direct air route with South |work=Asia Africa Intelligence Wire |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25914334_ITM |access-date=9 May 2009 |archive-date=17 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017212425/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25914334_ITM |url-status=live }}</ref> There are currently no inter-Korean flights, due to laws in both countries. The airline operated a series of services to Seoul Incheon International Airport with Tu-204 and An-148 aircraft for the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 September 2014 |title=Will NK Behave at the Asian Games? |url=https://www.dailynk.com/english/will-nk-behave-at-the-asian-games/ |url-status=live |work=Daily NK |publication-place=Seoul |publisher=Unification Media Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616164235/https://www.dailynk.com/english/will-nk-behave-at-the-asian-games/ |archive-date=16 June 2024 |access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref>
Air Koryo operated an airline interline partnership with Aeroflot, which was then part of SkyTeam, on services radiating from Vladivostok and Pyongyang until 2017, when it was forced to close the agreement due to newly imposed sanctions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Booking search – Aeroflot |url=https://m.aeroflot.ru/b/info/pnr/load?_preferredLanguage=en&_ga=2.232066716.2048206639.1496348116-1512952787.1496348114 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213201222/https://m.aeroflot.ru/b/info/pnr/load?_preferredLanguage=en&_ga=2.232066716.2048206639.1496348116-1512952787.1496348114 |archive-date=13 December 2017 |access-date=12 February 2018 |website=m.aeroflot.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sanctions force Aeroflot to axe Air Koryo interline deal |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/54442-sanctions-force-aeroflot-to-axe-air-koryo-interline-deal |access-date=12 February 2018 |archive-date=13 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213143356/https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/54442-sanctions-force-aeroflot-to-axe-air-koryo-interline-deal |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Fleet== ===Current fleet=== As of August 2025, Air Koryo operates the following fleet for international routes:{{sfn|Sokolin|2023b}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/140192-air-koryo-resumes-an-148-operations |url-access=subscription |title=Air Koryo resumes An-148 operations |last=Sipinski |first=Dominik |date=14 May 2014 |website=ch-aviation.com |publisher=ch-aviation GmbH |access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; text-align:center" |- ! colspan="10" |Air Koryo fleet |- ! rowspan="2"|Aircraft ! rowspan="2"|In service ! rowspan="2"|Orders ! colspan="3"|Passengers ! rowspan="2" |Notes |- !<abbr title="Business">C</abbr> !<abbr title="Economy">Y</abbr> !Total |- |Antonov An-148-100B |2 |— |8 |62 |70 |Original order in 2013 was for two An-148s and one An-158.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/16754-air-koryo-order-for-an-148s-and-an-158-officially-confirmed |url-access=limited |title=Air Koryo order for An-148s and An-158 officially confirmed |last=Jaeger |first=Thomas |date=17 February 2013 |website=ch-aviation.com |publisher=ch-aviation GmbH |access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref> |- |rowspan="2"|Ilyushin Il-62M |- |2 |— |colspan="3" |<abbr title="VIP Configuration">VIP</abbr> |Operated for the Government of North Korea.<ref name="russianplanes.net">{{Cite web |title=✈ наша авиация |url=https://russianplanes.net/airline/Air_Koryo |access-date=12 February 2018 |publisher=Russianplanes.net |language=ru}}</ref><br>One plane in all-white livery used as personal transport for Kim Jong Un.{{sfn|Morris|Smith|2018}}{{sfn|O'Carroll|2019}}{{sfn|Petchenik|2020}} |- |Tupolev Tu-154B |1 |— |16 |120 |136 |Operating as JS-271 to Vladivostok.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sokolin |first1=Anton |last2=Chung |first2=Seung-Yeon |date=11 December 2023 |editor-last1=Hill |editor-first1=Alannah |title=Air Koryo shuttling North Koreans from Vladivostok on twice weekly flights |url=https://www.nknews.org/2023/12/air-koryo-shuttling-north-koreans-from-vladivostok-on-twice-weekly-flights/ |url-access=limited |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211160137/https://www.nknews.org/2023/12/air-koryo-shuttling-north-koreans-from-vladivostok-on-twice-weekly-flights/ |archive-date=11 December 2023 |access-date=12 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=29 June 2020 |title=Air Koryo: North Korea Travel Guide |url=https://koryogroup.com/travel-guide/air-koryo-north-korea-travel-guide |website=Koryo Tours |access-date=12 August 2025}}</ref> |- |Tupolev Tu-204-100B |1 |— |12 |210 |222 |Former Red Wings Airlines aircraft acquired through a shell company.<ref name=russianplanes.net/> |- |Tupolev Tu-204-300 |1 |— |8 |136 |142 |This particular aircraft was converted from a Tu-204-100.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tu-204-300 c/n 1450742364012 |url=https://www.scramble.nl/database/soviet/details/183_69651 |access-date=4 February 2025 |website=Soviet Transport Database}}</ref> |- !Total !6 !— ! colspan="4" | |} <gallery mode="nolines"> File:Air Koryo Antonov An-148-100B P-671 (49004899498).jpg|Antonov An-148-100B File:Ильюшин Ил-62 3647853, Москва - Шереметьево RP9989.jpg|Ilyushin Il-62M File:AirKoryo TU154B2 Vladivostok new livery.jpg|Tupolev TU-154B File:P-633@PEK (20251118093737).jpg|Tupolev TU-204-100B File:P-632@PEK (20250503092400).jpg|Tupolev TU-204-300 </gallery>
===Historic, domestic routes fleet and unknown status=== {{More citations needed section|date=January 2025}} {| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; text-align:center" |- !Aircraft !In service !Inactive !Notes |- |Antonov An-24 |4 |2 | |- |{{no wrap|Ilyushin Il-18}} |1 |1 |One remains in service,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zwirko |first1=Colin |title=North Korea takes top communist moms sightseeing on rare flights to nowhere|url=https://www.nknews.org/2024/03/north-korea-takes-top-communist-moms-sightseeing-on-rare-flights-to-nowhere/ |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=NK News |date=12 March 2024}}</ref> the last Il-18 in passenger operations worldwide. |- |Ilyushin Il-76 |3 |0 | |- |Lisunov Li-2 |0 |0 |There was only one Lisunov Li-2 in Air Koryo's fleet, which was owned by the Kim family. It was shot down in the 1950s |- |Tupolev Tu-134 |2 |0 | |- |{{no wrap|Tupolev Tu-154}} |1 |2 |One remains in service. One was reportedly retired in 2010, but had been repainted and returned to service in 2013; in storage since 2019. The third was retired in 2010 and is now at the Aviation Institute in the Son Yang district. |- |}
Air Koryo may have been planning to add either a Ilyushin Il-86 or Ilyushin Il-96 to its fleet, according to a 1993 timetable.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Air Koryo - Chosonminhang - Korean Airways |url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/js.htm |access-date=14 July 2024 |website=www.timetableimages.com}}</ref>
===Tupolev Tu-204=== The first Tupolev Tu-204-300 for Air Koryo was officially handed over to the carrier on 27 December 2007, and was ferried from Ulyanovsk to Pyongyang. It has been fitted out with 16 business class seats and the remaining 150 seats are economy. The Tu-204 aircraft are currently scheduled on all international flights out of Pyongyang. With the arrival of the new aircraft, a new seasonal route to Singapore was introduced and the Pyongyang-Bangkok route was resumed in 2008. Its first revenue-earning flight was made on 8 May 2008. Air Koryo operates another version of the Tu-204 jet, a Tu-204-100B, which they took delivery of in March 2010. The Tu-204-300 is a shortened version of the Tu-204-100B.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 March 2010 |title=Самолёт Ту-204-100В передан авиакомпании "Air Koryo" – Аргументы и Факты |url=http://www.ul.aif.ru/money/news/18527 |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Ul.aif.ru |archive-date=5 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305202832/http://www.ul.aif.ru/money/news/18527 |url-status=live }}</ref> It started operating scheduled services on 5 March 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |title=bbs.feeyo.com |url=http://bbs.feeyo.com/piclist/20100417/201004170512154509.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710233657/http://bbs.feeyo.com/piclist/20100417/201004170512154509.html |archive-date=10 July 2011 |access-date=17 April 2010}}</ref> The two Tupolev Tu-204 were given the rights to operate into the European Union in March 2010, and remain the only planes the airline is allowed to operate to the EU.<ref name="businessweek.com">{{Cite web |date=30 March 2010 |author-first1=Jonathan|author-last1=Stearns|title=EU Bans All Airlines From Philippines, Sudan in New Blacklist |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-30/eu-bans-all-airlines-from-philippines-sudan-in-new-blacklist.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100929174839/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-30/eu-bans-all-airlines-from-philippines-sudan-in-new-blacklist.html |archive-date=29 September 2010 |access-date=9 October 2010 |website=BusinessWeek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=List of airlines subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union |url=http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban/doc/list_en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117224638/http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban/doc/list_en.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2012 |access-date=17 June 2016 |website=European Commission for Transport |publisher=European Commission}}</ref>
===Gallery=== {{multiple image | align = center | direction = horizontal | width = 175 | image1 = Air_Koryo_Antonov_An-148-100B.jpg | caption1 = Antonov An-148 | image2 = P-632@PEK_(20180303094933).jpg | caption2 = Tupolev Tu-204 | image3 = Air Koryo Il-62 Pavel.jpg | caption3 = Ilyushin Il-62M }}
==Livery== The Air Koryo livery originally consisted of a white and grey fuselage and a horizontal stripe in national colors along the windows dividing the upper and lower parts into white and grey respectively. The Korean name Air Koryo is painted above the windows and a North Korean flag is painted on the vertical stabilizer.{{cn|date=December 2025}}
Now most of their planes are painted in new livery. It consists of a full white body and grey belly which are divided with a thin red stripe. The name of the airline is painted in Korean in front and in English in the middle with the North Korean flag and registration on the vertical stabilizer.{{cn|date=December 2025}}
Following Kim Jong Un's announcement at the end of 2023 that North Korea will no longer seek reunification with South Korea, the carrier changed its crane logo in 2024. The old logo was a stylized crane whose wings resembled the Korean peninsula as a unified whole, while the crane wings of the new logo consist of tapered horizontal lines that no longer resemble the peninsula.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zwirko |first1=Colin |date=25 April 2024 |title=North Korea's Air Koryo changes logo to comply with new anti-unification policy |url=https://www.nknews.org/2024/04/north-koreas-air-koryo-changes-logo-to-comply-with-new-anti-unification-policy/ |url-status=live |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512184046/https://www.nknews.org/2024/04/north-koreas-air-koryo-changes-logo-to-comply-with-new-anti-unification-policy/ |archive-date=12 May 2024 |access-date=17 June 2024}}</ref>
==Accidents and incidents== *On 30 June 1979, a Korean Airways Tupolev Tu-154B sustained landing gear and wing damage at Budapest Ferihegy Airport in Hungary. On final approach to Runway 31, the pilot realised the plane would undershoot and brought the nose of the plane up without applying power. The aircraft stalled, and with a hard landing, the right landing gear collapsed, causing the right wing to strike the ground and sustain substantial wing structure damage. There were no fatalities, and aircraft P-551 was subsequently repaired and returned to service.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 June 1979 |title=Aviation Safety Database report P-551 |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/328570 |access-date=14 August 2015 |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |archive-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930104455/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19790630-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> *On 1 July 1983, a CAAK Ilyushin Il-62M on a non-scheduled international passenger flight from Pyongyang, North Korea (Pyongyang Sunan International Airport) to Conakry, Guinea (Conakry International Airport) crashed in the Fouta Djallon Mountains in Guinea. All 23 people on board died, and the aircraft was written off.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 July 1983 |title=Aviation Safety Database report P-889 |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/327612 |access-date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |archive-date=23 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023052250/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19830701-0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=6 July 1983 |title=Around the World: 23 Killed in Guinea Crash of a North Korean Plane |work=The New York Times |agency=UPI |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/06/world/around-the-world-23-killed-in-guinea-crash-of-a-north-korean-plane.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106064329/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/06/world/around-the-world-23-killed-in-guinea-crash-of-a-north-korean-plane.html |archive-date=6 January 2016 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> *On 15 August 2006, Flight 152, a Tupolev Tu-154B (P-551) suffered a runway excursion while landing at Beijing Capital International Airport. Despite being officially retired in 2010, it was repainted and returned to service in 2013 and as of 2019 has been in storage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tu-154 c/n 75A129 |url=https://www.scramble.nl/database/soviet/details/181_68550 |website=Scramble Soviet Transport Database}}</ref> Previously, in 1976, this aircraft had been taxiing when it was damaged by an Aeroflot Tu-104 that lost control and crashed during takeoff.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-tupolev-tu-104a-irkutsk-24-killed|title=Crash of a Tupolev Tu-104A at Irkutsk: 24 killed|website=B3A Archives}}</ref> *On 22 July 2016, Flight 151, a Tupolev Tu-204-300 on a flight from Beijing to Pyongyang, made an emergency landing at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport due to reports of smoke in the cabin. The oxygen masks were deployed.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 July 2016 |title=North Korean Air Koryo plane makes emergency landing in China |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-china-airplane-idUSKCN1020E6 |access-date=2 July 2017 |archive-date=11 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611190608/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-china-airplane-idUSKCN1020E6 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Korean airline introduces tinned pheasant line, opens Pyongyang shop |publisher=NK News |url=https://www.nknews.org/2017/06/n-korean-airline-introduces-tinned-pheasant-line-opens-pyongyang-shop |access-date=6 June 2017 |archive-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414045119/https://www.nknews.org/2017/06/n-korean-airline-introduces-tinned-pheasant-line-opens-pyongyang-shop/ |url-status=live }} * {{cite news |last1=O'Carroll |first1=Chad |date=17 November 2019 |title=Kim Jong Un's personal jet makes first appearance since Singapore summit |url=https://www.nknews.org/2019/11/kim-jong-uns-personal-jet-makes-first-appearance-since-singapore-summit/ |url-status=live |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006202628/https://www.nknews.org/2019/11/kim-jong-uns-personal-jet-makes-first-appearance-since-singapore-summit/ |archive-date=6 October 2023 |access-date=16 June 2024}} * {{cite web |url=https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/how-kim-jong-un-and-the-north-korean-delegation-traveled-to-the-singapore-summit/ |title=How Kim Jong Un and the North Korean Delegation Traveled to the Singapore Summit |last=Petchenik |first=Ian |date=29 March 2020 |orig-date=11 June 2018 |website=Flightradar24 |publisher=Flightradar24 AB |access-date=14 June 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005023546/https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/how-kim-jong-un-and-the-north-korean-delegation-traveled-to-the-singapore-summit/ |archive-date=5 October 2023}} * {{cite news |last1=Sokolin |first1=Anton |date=25 August 2023a|title=North Korean airline operates first flight to Vladivostok since pandemic began |url=https://www.nknews.org/2023/08/north-korean-airline-operates-first-flight-to-vladivostok-since-pandemic-began/ |url-status=live |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225184023/https://www.nknews.org/2023/08/north-korean-airline-operates-first-flight-to-vladivostok-since-pandemic-began/ |archive-date=25 February 2024 |access-date=16 June 2024}} * {{cite news |last1=Sokolin |first1=Anton |date=14 December 2023b|title=North Korean carrier flies to China's Shenyang for first time in four years |url=https://www.nknews.org/2023/12/north-korean-carrier-flies-to-chinas-shenyang-for-first-time-in-four-years/ |url-status=live |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214092712/https://www.nknews.org/2023/12/north-korean-carrier-flies-to-chinas-shenyang-for-first-time-in-four-years/ |archive-date=14 December 2023 |access-date=17 June 2024 |url-access=subscription}} * {{cite report |author=United Nations Panel of Experts |date=6 March 2014 |title=Report of the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 1874 (2009) |url=https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_2014_147.pdf |publisher=United Nations Security Council |docket=14-23227 |access-date=17 June 2024}} * {{Cite journal |date=13 April 1961 |title=World Airlines Survey |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200504.html |journal=Flight International |access-date=5 October 2014 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006112153/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200504.html |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|World Airlines Survey|1961}}}} * {{Cite journal |date=10 April 1969 |title=World Airlines Survey |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%200639.html |journal=Flight International |publisher=IPC Transport Press Limited |access-date=21 August 2016 |archive-date=21 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221001128/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%200639.html |url-status=live |ref={{harvid|World Airlines Survey|1969}}}} * {{cite news |last1=Zwirko |first1=Colin |date=3 November 2023 |title=Pyongyang airport expands plane parking amid claims Air Koryo seeks new aircraft |url=https://www.nknews.org/pro/pyongyang-airport-expands-plane-parking-amid-claims-air-koryo-seeks-new-aircraft/ |url-status=live |editor1-last=Betts |editor1-first=Bryan |work=NK News |publisher=Korea Risk Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103105748/https://www.nknews.org/pro/pyongyang-airport-expands-plane-parking-amid-claims-air-koryo-seeks-new-aircraft/ |archive-date=3 November 2023 |access-date=16 June 2024}} {{refend}}
==Further reading== * {{Cite book |last=Mebius |first=Arthur |title=Dear Sky: The Planes and People of North Korea's Airline |publisher=Eriskay Connection |year=2017 |isbn=978-94-92051-30-1 |location=Breda}} * Manning G., ''North Korean Aviation'', Key Publishing, Stamford (Lincs), 2022
==External links== {{Commons category-inline}} * {{Official website|http://www.airkoryo.com.kp/}} * {{YouTube|I5CHZmRe6jE|Tupolev TU204 North Korean Landing & Takeoff at Vladivostok}} * [https://dprk360.com/inside-north-korea/air-koryo/98/ Air Koryo Virtual Tours by DPRK 360] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080620022425/http://www.korea-dpr.com/users/switzerland/korea_enterprise_airkoryo/airkoryo_fr.php Swiss Website of Air Koryo] at the Korean Friendship Association website Switzerland Delegation * [https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/7985 Air Koryo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209054150/https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/7985 |date=9 December 2024 }} at the Aviation Safety Network Database * [https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/5061 CAAK (predecessor)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210082707/https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/5061 |date=10 December 2024 }} at the Aviation Safety Network Database
{{Portal bar|North Korea|Aviation}} {{IATA members|china}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Airlines banned in the European Union Category:Airlines of North Korea Category:Airlines established in 1954 Category:Companies based in Pyongyang Category:Government-owned airlines