Air Koryo
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Template:Koreanname north image Air Koryo Korean Airways (formerly Chosŏn Minhang 조선민항/朝鮮民航, short form Air Koryo) is the state-owned airline of North Korea. It operates international services and occasional charter flights to points in Asia, Africa and Europe. It is based at Sunan International Airport (FNJ) in Pyongyang.
The Head Office of Air Koryo is located in the Sunan district, Pyongyang, and it has offices in Beijing, Shenyang, Macau, Bangkok, Berlin, Moscow, as well as a sales agency in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.
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History
The airline was established in 1954 and started operations on 21 September 1955. It was formerly known as Chosonminhang Korean Airways (CAAK) and was formed to succeed SOKAO, the joint Soviet-North Korean airline established in 1950. CAAK began operations with Lisunov Li-2, Antonov An-2 and Ilyushin Il-12 aircraft. Il-14 and Il-18 turboprops were added to the fleet in the 1960s.
Jet operation commenced in 1975, when the first Tupolev Tu-154 was delivered for services from Pyongyang to Prague, East Berlin and Moscow. The Tu-154 fleet was increased at the start of the 1980s and the first Ilyushin Il-62 was delivered in 1982, allowing CAAK to offer a direct non-stop service to Moscow for the first time.
The end of the Cold War and the collapse of communism in Europe saw a vast reduction in the number of international services offered. CAAK became Air Koryo in 1993. No new aircraft have been purchased since 1990 and the present fleet is elderly, with some aircraft being almost 40 years old.
Services
Air Koryo operates services to the following international scheduled destinations (according to Air Koryo March 2005 timetable): Beijing twice weekly, Shenyang twice weekly and Vladivostok once weekly.
The route to Vladivostok is subject to frequent cancellation because of low passenger numbers. Khabarovsk in Russia is served on a seasonal basis, catering primarily for North Korean timber workers. Relatively common destinations for charter flights include Shenzhen, Macau and Bangkok. However, occassional ad hoc charter flights, mostly on diplomatic or freight duties, have served Moscow, Sofia, Zurich, Prague, Seoul, Busan, Yangyang and some Japanese cities.
The first regular charter flights between North Korea and South Korea began in 2002. The first Air Koryo flight to touch down in South Korea was in August2000, carrying a North Korean diplomatic delegation for talks with the South.
As North Korea's sole aviation entity, Air Koryo is responsible for the overseas transportion of government officials. It claims to offer domestic services in addition to its international flights. It is believed that the only scheduled domestic flight is Pyongyang - Hamhung - Chongjin on a once weekly basis, though there is no reliable evidence to suggest that this is the case. Chronic fuel shortages are thought to keep the domestic services grounded. Most domestic flights are usually charter services, flying foreign tourists from Pyongyang to Samjiyeon for tours to Baektusan.
Fleet
The Air Koryo fleet consists of the following aircraft (at January 2005):
- 2 Antonov An-24B
- 3 Antonov An-24RV
- 4 Ilyushin Il-62M
- 3 Ilyushin Il-76MD
- 2 Tupolev Tu-134B
- 3 Tupolev Tu-154B
- 1 Tupolev Tu-154B-2
It is unknown, however, whether all the aircraft listed are still airworthy. Visitors to Pyongyang report several aircraft appearing to be 'in storage'.
External Links
- Air Koryo unofficial web site (http://hk.geocities.com/hkgalbert/index.htm)
- Air Koryo : The gateway to DPRK (http://www.angelfire.com/pokemon2/aerokimchi/koryo_e.html)
- Air Koryo passenger opinions (http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/koryo.htm)de:Koryo Air
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