Air Koryo, the airline of North Korea, has a fleet of 39 aircraft. However, they operate only two flights daily. What is up with that?

Air Koryo, the airline of North Korea, has a fleet of 39 aircraft. However, they operate only two flights daily. What is up with that?

The rest is used to lift the fat man around. One plane isn't enough.

Gas is very expensive. BTW, how is that any of your business.

Have you looked at the diplomatic relations of North Korea lately? It isn't as though they're going to have hundreds of international flights a day. Even if they did, who would use them? Less than 1% of the North Korean population are permitted to leave the country.

No one can leave and no one can come in. Why do they need two flights?

It has a fleet of 19 aircraft, not 39. Two of those are Kim Jong-un's VIP configured Il-62s personal aircraft. Another three are Il-76D freighters.

There are several reasons why they operate only two daily flights. First, North Korea isn't exactly overrun with visitors, and North Koreans are not allowed to travel abroad and few can afford to travel by air domestically.

Second, North Korea is still subject to economic sanctions. It is banned from buying crude oil and oil products, including jet fuel, from abroad. No fuel = no flying.

Third: European airworthiness inspectors have, on multiple occasions, found evidence of serious safety deficiencies on Air Koryo aircraft which the airline had failed to correct. These deficiencies and Air Koryo's blatant failure to correct them led European Union in 2006 to ban the Air Koryo from landing in EU airports and from flying through EU airspace. Many other countries, based on the EU's ban, also banned Air Koryo from flying over their territories. In 2010 the EU partially lifted the ban by allowing Air Koryo. Two Tu-204 aircraft which have been brought into compliance with the regulations to fly into its airports and overfly its territory. Not that it matters, the Tu-204s can't reach Europe without refueling anyway. All other Air Koryo's aircraft remain banned.

Why do you care? It is not like you will be booking a flight with them soon.

As was noted before, their fleet has 19 aircraft, not 39.
The Wikipedia page claims 26 destinations. Where did you get the "two flights daily" figure anyway?

Air Koryo has a fleet of 16 commercial airliners serving between Pyongyang, Beijing, Shenyang and Vladivostok and 3 commercial freighters…

for flight schedule please contact Air Koryo

JS151 Pyongyang -> Beijing (A81) - Mo, Fr, Tu, Sa
JS152 Beijing -> Pyonyang (T20) - Mo, Tu, Sa
JS155 Pyongyang -> Shenyang (A81) - We, Sa
JS156 Shenyang - > Pyongyang (A81) - We, Sa
JS251 Pyongyang -> Beijing (T20) - Th
JS252 Beijing -> Pyongyang (T20) - Th
JS271 Pyongyang -> Vladivostok (A81) - Mo, Fr
JS272 Vladivostok -> Pyongyang (A81) - Mo, Fr

No idea what so ever

In communist countries, the majority of the citizens can barely afford to EAT, much less fly in an airplane.

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