North Korea is a country known for its dislike of outsiders and isolationism, but even a totalitarian dictatorship needs to have a way for people to be able to get in and out of the country. Sometimes certain North Koreans are special enough to leave the country, and sometimes foreigners are allowed to come in to experience the surreal experience that North Korea is. North Korea has its own very special airline to handle all of this, Air Koryo!
Back in 1950's the airline was first established to connect the North to the Soviet Union. Their first route went from Pyongyang to Novosibirsk, where it would connect and fly on to Moscow. Later on they would expand their route network to other destinations within the Soviet Union, and later China. Eventually they added aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-62 and Tupolev Tu-154 to their fleet, which allowed them to fly all the way to other communist allied countries like East Germany and Bulgaria.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korea's relationship with Russia dimished, and the airline began to fly to different places. As recently as 2010 they were flying to destinations such as Zurich, Budapest, and Prague.
But then the flag carrier ran into two big problems. The airline was put on the EU list of banned air carriers, and the other one was that sanctions were imposed upon North Korea. This meant that Air Koryo could no longer fly to or through the EU, and that almost all countries were banned from doing trade with the country. This dried up basically all air travel to or from the country, as no one had any reason to go there anymore.
Today Air Koryo is no longer on the banned list, and it's fleet has been reduced to a much smaller, but more modern fleet of Russian and Ukrainian aircraft. It's only scheduled destinations as of writing are Vladivostok, Shenyang, Beijing, Shanghai, and Macau. Macau has long been suspected of being a hub for illegal activities of North Korean companies. The lack of having many destinations reduces the risk that their flight crews might attempt to escape the country.
But then North Korea made things just a little bit worse for themselves. Back in November 2017, North Korea tested a ballistic missile that landed a little too close to Japan, and in response the UN added more sanctions to the country that prevented any country from selling planes to North Korea. They are however still allowed to buy parts for their existing planes, so that they don't fall out of the sky.
So what is flying on Air Koryo actually like?
Well the airline became famous for being the worst rated airline in the world, but according to most reviews today, it is just as good as other ailrines, if not better in some ways!
The cabins are simple, but comparable to other airlines, and even has an inflight entertainment system. The entertainment is limited to North Korean news, advertisements, and propaganda. It plays on repeat throughout the cabin, so muting it is not possible, and the airline also has its own inflight magazine!
When it comes to the inflight meal, the airline is famous for the Air Koryo burger, which most people call mystery meat, but it is assumed to be chicken.
Besides that you also get one full meal, and there are no choices, so hopefully you're happy with what you get. Overall according to reviews, people say that the food tastes fine.
Stewardesses are said to be polite and friendly, and are dressed in classic navy blue uniforms. Their English abilities vary depending on who is serving you, and it can be hard to communicate beyond asking for a cola or saying a simple thank you. The only time they are strict is when they see a camera, which are technically not allowed to be used during the flight.
It will be interesting to see how Air Koryo will survive. Their fleet will eventually need new airplanes, and it doesn't look like the sancions imposed on the country will be lifted anytime soon.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this article!