Russia will launch direct flights from Moscow to North Koreas capital of Pyongyang later on this month, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) stated Wednesday.Russias civil air travel authority Rosaviatsia released a license for the charter airline company Nordwind to run flights between Moscow and Pyongyang two times a week, according to ATOR.
Nordwind apparently looked for the license in June.Currently, the only direct air path between the 2 countries is a twice-weekly Air Koryo flight in between Pyongyang and the Far East Russian city of Vladivostok.
That route resumed in August 2023 following a three-year suspension throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.Around the time flight in between Vladivostok and Pyongyang resumed, Rosaviatsia was reported to have actually motivated Russian airlines to establish routine routes to North Korea after consulting with North Korean air travel officials.According to ATOR, Moscows Sheremetyevo International Airport included flights to Pyongyang to its schedule starting on July 27.
North Korea has turned into one of Russias closest allies given that Moscows full-blown invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The U.S.
and its allies accuse Pyongyang of supplying Russia with weapons and ballistic rockets for usage in Ukraine.Top Russian authorities have made a series of high-profile visits to North Korea, and the 2 nations signed a shared defense pact during President Vladimir Putins see to Pyongyang last year.