Air Koryo, the flag carrier of North Korea is well known for their international routes between China and Russia but it’s not widely known about the domestic routes within the DPRK. Here we’ll teach you what’s on offer with domestic North Korean flights.
In 2017 Air Koryo introduced their first weekly scheduled domestic North Korean flights to all local airports around the nation. Prior to this announcement all domestic flights were required to be chartered.
It was only a few months after this announcement that Air Koryo decided to drop all but one of their scheduled flight routes.
The hub of domestic flights in the DPRK is Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport or also known as Pyongyang International Airport. The airport code for Pyongyang Airport is FNJ.
North Korea Domestic Flights from Pyongyang
Orang – North Hamgyong Province
The only scheduled flight arranged by Air Koryo due to the high volume of local passengers and lack of road infrastructure between these two cities. Orang is a county located next to Chongjin – the third largest city in the DPRK positioned in the far North East of the Korean peninsula.
Orang is also located near Mt. Chilbo which is a popular tourist destination for hikes and the only available Korean Homestay. Orang airport is used both for military and civilian use.
Tuesday / Friday
Economy Class: 140 euros per person one way OR 200 euros per person return flight
Departing Pyongyang: 10:00am – Arriving Orang: 10:50am
Departing Orang: 3:00pm – Arriving Pyongyang: 3:50pm
Samjiyon – Ryanggang Province
One of the most popular tourist flight routes is to Samjiyon, a small town located next to Mt. Paektu where the Koreans say is the birth place of Kim Jong Il. Mt. Paektu is the largest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and is only accessible by domestic flight from Pyongyang.
Samjiyon can be reached by charter flight only which we arrange once a year for our Mt. Paektu tour.
Uiju – North Pyongan Province
Uiju is a county which belongs to Sinuiju city located on the border of North Korea to China. In 2018 Air Koryo announced regular scheduled flights between Sinuiju and Pyongyang but was never put into operation. This flight can be arranged through charter.
Galma (Kalma) – Gangwon Province
Galma is located right next to Wonsan, the famous beach city of North Korea. Galma is a newly constructed airport which opened in 2015 with the intentions of it being used as an international airport linking flights between South Korea, Russia and Japan. Flights to Galma airport can be arranged through charter.
Sondok – South Hamgyong Province
Sondok is located near Hamhung – the second largest city in North Korea. Hamhung is located on the east coast of the peninsula and is mostly visited by tourists for the Majon resort nearby. Sondok airport is used both for military and civilian use. Sondok flights can be arranged through charter.
Hyangsan Helipad – North Pyongyan Province
Located just outside Mt Myohyang is the Hyangsan helipad which can be used for chartering helicopters from Pyongyang. Mt Myohyang is most popular for the International Friendship Exhibition which is on our must see sights of North Korea.
Chartering flight tours over Pyongyang
YPT have special access to a Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopter and we can use this for a unique aerial tour of the capital.
The tour includes a swoop around the 105 storey Ryugyong Hotel, do a low flyby of the Taedong River passing the Juche tower, have a great glimpse of May Day stadium – the world’s largest stadium, and explore the many districts sprawling across the city for fantastic and unique photography opportunities.
We here at YPT can arrange all charter flights with Air Koryo to any of these destinations above. Please contact us for a quote. It is possible to arrange any chartered flights during your tour with us.
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