North Korea is one of the most secretive countries on the planet, with only a handful of airlines flying to the Hermit Kingdom. One of these airlines is Air Koryo, North Korea’s national airline.
As with the rest of North Korea, their national carrier is extremely secretive. Photographing their staff and aircraft is extremely difficult, not only because their staff are notoriously camera-shy but also because they don’t fly to many destinations!
Pre-Air Koryo
Following WWII, former Allied and Axis fighter pilots returned to their home countries. Many of these former fighter pilots became airline pilots, with those wealthier pilots founding their own airlines when they returned home.
Beginning in the late 1940’s, many of these airlines merged together to form large airlines. By the early 1950’s, this was the case in most countries in the West. The same was happening in the East, albeit with state-owned airlines.
Under Japanese rule during WWII, Japanese airlines were the only ones who flew to what is now North Korea. For the most part, these were flights from Tokyo to Pyongyang and back.
These flights flew the Japanese military and industrial leaders to watch over their new gains. When these trips were done, they would hop on the next flight and go back to Japan.
At the end of WWII, Korea was divided into the Soviet-backed North and Western-backed South. This in essence created North and South Korea as we know them today.
With this, both the West and the Soviets wanted to rebuild their half of Korea, which had been shattered during the war. This included building up their aviation industries.
SOKAO
The earliest North Korean airline was a joint venture between the North Koreans and Soviets. This founded the Soviet–North Korean Airline (SOKAO), which aimed to connect Pyongyang with the Soviet capital of Moscow.
Due to the Soviets’ initial bankrolling of the airline, the airline’s entire fleet was Soviet-built. These aircraft included Lisunov Li-2, Antonov An-2 and Ilyushin Il-12s left over from WWII.
SOKAO would be founded in early 1950, and would initially operate flights between the two cities intermittently. Over time, SOKAO would begin regularly scheduled flights between the two cities.
Between mid-1950 and 1953, SOKAO would be forced to cease operations due to the onset of the Korean War. Neither the Soviets nor the North Koreans could risk SOKAO aircraft being shot down by American forces.
In 1953, SOKAO would resume its flights, once the Korean War had died down. This time, SOKAO would take flight under a different name and livery: UKAMPS (officially Ministry of Transport of DPRK).
UKAMPS would operate the exact same aircraft, employing the exact same pilots and crews, on the extract same routes, flying the exact same people. The only difference was the new livery.
Formation
In early 1955, the Ministry of Transport of DPRK floated the idea of following what many other Soviet-influenced countries had done: creating their own civil aviation board to handle their flag carrier.
Kim Sung-Il liked this idea, as the Soviets had done this only a few months before, as had their close neighbor (and major trading partner) China. As such, he gave the greenlight for this to happen.
By September 1955, Kim Sung-Il had received blessing from the Soviets to do so. As such, on September 21 1955, UKAMPS was placed under the control of the Civil Aviation Administration of Korea (CAAK).
Under its new leadership, the state airline was once again given a new name, the third in five years. This name would be CAAK, after the agency that ran it.
With this, all the formerly UKAMPS were given new and revised liveries. On top of this, all references to UKAMPS was expunged, be it from uniforms, brochures, gates etc.
Upon becoming CAAK, all former ties to the airline’s former Soviet-ownership were removed. At least on paper. After all, the airline still operated an all-Soviet-built fleet and only flew to countries in the Soviet sphere of influence.
Early Expansion
During the remainder of the 1950’s, North Korea’s flag carrier would continually operate one route: Pyongyang to Moscow and back. This would be done on their piston and turboprop aircraft, which made frequent stops for refueling.
In the 1960’s, as longer-haul flag carriers began to pick up in the West, North Korea’s flag carrier was still stuck in a post-WWII limbo. The airline would receive new Il-14 and Il-18s from the Soviets.
These aircraft had increased ranges, which allowed the Pyongyang-Moscow route to be completed quicker. The aircraft’s newer engines were faster, and required less fuel, resulting in fewer stops.
In 1975, the Soviets gave the North Korean flag carrier a few ageing jet aircraft in the form of the Tupolev Tu-154. This aircraft was a former Aeroflot airliner that was repainted in the CAAK livery.
The addition of the Tu-154 gave the airline the ability to travel to different countries within the Soviet sphere of influence, that it couldn’t before. As such, starting in the 1970’s, CAAK flew to Prague and East Berlin, as well as Moscow.
On top of this, surplus Soviet Tu-134 and An-24 regional airliners were also delivered to kickstart North Korean domestic routes. These would begin in the late 1970’s, although were suspended on several occasions due to lack of demand.
In the 1980’s, the Soviets gave CAAK more aircraft, expanding out its Tu-154 fleet (going from one to two).
On top of this, CAAK would receive its first Il-62 aircraft for its all-new Sofia and Belgrade routes. The Il-62 would also be used for non-stop trips from Pyongyang to Moscow.
Post-Cold War Expansion
In 1989, much of the Eastern bloc rose up against Soviet rule, overthrowing communist governments and replacing them with capitalist ones. The same year, Berliners tore down the Berlin Wall, symbolically tearing down communist oppression.
Two years later, in 1991, the Soviet Union would collapse under the strain of communism. Following this, many former communist states became Western allies, and accepted Western aid.
North Korea, remained mostly unaffected by this, however, CAAK had lost many of its routes, especially so in Eastern Europe. CAAK tried numerous times to continue operations in these countries, but was turned down due to their communism.
In an attempt to try to start anew, CAAK rebranded themselves as Air Koryo in 1992. For the most part, this name change was unsuccessful, although the airline did receive new routes to China and Russia, as well as keeping its original ones.
After seeing many former Soviet-aligned flag carriers do the same, the now Air Koryo ordered three Il-76 cargo aircraft. These Il-76s would be used to fly cargo from North Korea to China and Russia.
In recent years, there have been reports of these Il-76s flying more than just finished North Korean goods. For the most part, these reports have stated that people were also trafficked on these aircraft, although, North Korea and the airline deny this.
International Bans
As a part of the Soviet sphere of influence, the airline was forbidden to fly into Western airspace by the Soviets. For the most part, they played it off as a security concern- Westerners may try to sabotage their aircraft.
In this event, Western powers would’ve likely responded with fighter escorts, and a stern warning to stay away. If this did not happen, they would be escorted out of Western territory, if all else failed, the fighters would shoot down the aircraft.
Thankfully, this never happened, as most of the airline’s flights flights were always well into communist-controlled territory.
Once communism had collapsed in much of Eastern Europe many of these Soviet-imposed restrictions were lifted. However, Air Koryo was not in any rush to fly beyond its then-current route card.
In March 2006, the EU ruled that the airline could not operate its aircraft over EU airspace due to “Serious safety concerns” as well as violations of the Chicago Convention and a lack of transparency from the airline.
Upon receiving new Tupolev Tu 204 aircraft, as well as complying with the Chicago Convention, Air Koryo Tu 204s were permitted to fly over EU airspace. However, no other aircraft from the airline is allowed to do so.
Today
Over the course of the past few years, many of the airline’s original Soviet piston and turboprop aircraft have been retired. For the most part, this is because there simply aren’t the parts for them anymore.
As of the time of writing, the airline’s “leisure” fleet consist of six aircraft, two Tu 204s, two An-148s and two Tu-154s. Although, the airline is currently phasing out its Tu-154s in favor of its newer An-148s.
On top of this, the airline also operates three Il-76s for its cargo operations.
In 2011, after being allowed to fly over European airspace in 2010, Air Koryo began to fly to Kuwait City from Pyongyang. However, these flights are only operated during peak season to save on costs.
Beginning in 2012, people began to get quite interested in Air Koryo as an airline. With this, many avgeeks and aviation celebrities began to fly on the airline for sheer fun and morbid curiosity.
As such, Juche Travel Services (a North Korean state-owned travel agency) began offering westerners the ability to fly aboard chartered Air Koryo aircraft, to get the full North Korean experience.
In 2017, Kim Jong Un, with the help of Air Koryo chairman An Pyong-Chil, indicated that the airline may begin to diversify. Several sources hinted that it might diversify into non-aviation fields such as tobacco, soft drinks, and tinned pheasant meat among others.
What is it Like to Fly on Air Koryo?
Personally, I have flown on hundreds of different airlines, both for work and for pleasure. For the most part, they tend to blend into one. However, I have flown aboard Air Koryo twice, and both times I had wished I hadn’t.
In recent years, Air Koryo has been labelled as one of the worst airlines in the world. Many who haven’t flown on the airline don’t seem to understand why, but those who have do understand the logic behind this. It’s terrible.
The first time I flew on the airline, I was flying on a 1960’s-era Tupolev Tu-154 from Beijing to Pyongyang (I thought I would try it for the sheer fun of it, and yes, I was a little curious). The second time was one one of their newer Tu 204s.
On both flights, the service was discourteous to say the least. The flight attendants spoke Korean (as can be expected), however, any attempts to communicate with them was short, often with them placing their hand in my face.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, most amenities you get on other airlines, especially flag carriers, did not materialize. Eventually, a complimentary meal was served, however, it was…. poor to say the least.
I understand that the Tu-154 was built in a different era, yet throughout my entire flight, I thought it was going to explode or drop out of the sky! The same was also true for the newer Tu 204s, which is unexpected.
How Safe is Air Koryo?
Let’s assume that (for whatever reason) you’d like to visit North Korea, and that you wanted to go full-on North Korea, and fly on their national carrier. You’re probably going to want to know how safe/dangerous the airline is.
First of all, I am going to warn you: we don’t really know the answer. Due to North Korea’s hostility to the outside world, it doesn’t openly share crash data, and it’s highly likely that crashes that happen domestically, won’t always be reported.
So what I’m saying is, take this with a grain of salt.
For the most part, Air Koryo does seem to be safe airline, at least on paper. In its 65 year history, the airline has only ever had three accidents, resulting in no serious injuries, and a relatively low 23 fatalities.
The airline’s first accident was as a result of poor pilot training. The pilot was not paying attention and ended up overshooting the runway, causing the aircraft to have a hard landing, damaging the aircraft.
The airline’s second crash was also as a result of poor pilot training, with the pilot not paying attention, and resulting in him crashing into a mountain. The third incident was as a result of poor engine maintenance.
All in all, the airline operates Soviet-era jets and turboprops. Many of the latter aircraft are well over 75 years old, and are still flying regularly. It also doesn’t help that many of these aircraft are extremely dangerous either.
Legacy
Air Koryo’s existence has left a rather large legacy on the aviation industry, even if it is one that many tend to forget. Many of those who do remember also choose to forget as well.
North Korea
Air Koryo’s existence is one of the last remaining paths to North Korea. Since the global collapse of communism at the end of the 20th century, North Korea has slowly closed itself off from the rest of the world.
However, Air Koryo is that little piece of North Korea that you can see in a select few airports around the world. And, should you choose, it may be the first step into a country that hasn’t changed much since the 1950’s!
Believe it or not, despite North Korea censoring almost all of the internet within their own borders, Air Koryo does have a website. This is a website that we in the West can access.
Should you so desire, you could actually book a trip from one of a few destinations to Pyongyang straight off the airline’s website! Although, I’m nor sure that I’d want to!
Third World Airlines
By most accounts, North Korea is considered a third world country. As with most other third world countries, they are considered safety risks, be it from political extremists, disease or whatever.
With this, their airlines are banned from flying over many countries’ airspace. This severely restricts their airlines’ ability to make money, as their routes are limited to those that have very little profit in them.
For the most part, Air Koryo has managed this well throughout its time. It made strategic alliances with Soviet airlines during the Soviet-era, before making strategic alliances with Chinese airlines in the present day.
Many third world countries’ airlines have attempted to do the same, both regionally and internationally. For the most part, this has had little success, although, a few have had a fair amount of success in this.
Have you ever flown on Air Koryo? What was it like? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Mark Fahey via Flickr.