Shanghai to Pyongyang charter flights to begin
- Source: Global Times
- [09:26 July 26 2010]
- Comments
Air hostesses for Air Koryo, the North Korean airline, wait for passengers at Pyongyang International airport. Photo: AFP
By Li Xiang
Air Koryo, North Korea's state-owned aircraft carrier, will launch a direct charter flight service from Shanghai to Pyongyang starting from August 6.
The move makes Shanghai the third city on the Chinese mainland, following Beijing and Shenyang, to have a regu-lar flight service to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The flight is scheduled to leave Shanghai Pudong International Airport for Pyongyang Sunan International Airport at 4 pm every Tuesday and Friday, and is solely for Chinese tourist groups, a staff member surnamed Kim at Air Koryo's Beijing office told the Global Times Sunday.
Both Jin Jiang Travel and Shanghai China International Travel Service (CITS), the city's two largest travel agencies approved to operate overseas travel itineraries, will be booking passengers for the first flight, according to the service hot lines of the two agencies.
The direct flights mean tourists from Shanghai and neighboring provinces will no longer need to first travel to Beijing or Shenyang when flying to Pyongyang. "This will alleviate tourists' exhaustion and cut the cost of trips," an employee surnamed Xu at Jin Jiang Travel told the Global Times.
The cost of a round trip by air between Shenyang and Shanghai is at least 900 yuan ($132.7) after discounts, while those between Beijing and Shanghai cost at least 1,550 yuan ($228.6).
The cost of tours from Shanghai to Pyongyang varies from 4,480 yuan ($660.7) to 5,980 yuan ($882.8) starting from August 6, a fall of around 1,000 yuan ($147.5) on previous prices, according to the online booking systems of both CITS and Jin Jiang Travel.
