Pyongyang International Airport () , also known as the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, is the main airport serving Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It is located in the city's Sunan District. The airport was closed in 2020 to international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened in 2023 with the resumption of Air Koryo flight to Beijing and Vladivostok.

History

Early years
During the period of Japanese rule, two airports were built in Pyongyang. Pyongyang Air Base was built by the Empire of Japan in the 1940s and remained in use until the 1950s. A second airport, Mirim Airport, was also built by the forces of the empire of Japan in the 1940s and located east of the Taedong River. However, after World War II there was a need for a newer airport, and Sunan Airfield was constructed. Mirim Airport survived as a military airfield with Pyongyang Air Base re-developed for use by the government and housing.

During the Korean War, the airport was occupied by United Nations forces for seven weeks in late 1950. The forces flew large amounts of supplies to Sunan during this period. On 13 May 1953, the airport was inundated when the US Air Force bombed Toksan Dam. After an armistice was signed two months later, the North Korean Government started repairing and expanding the airport.

The Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot flew to Moscow and Khabarovsk in the 1980s. During the 1990s Air Koryo also provided nonstop flights to Moscow, which continued on to Berlin and Sofia.

Development since the 2000s
Russian Sky Airlines operated charter services to Pyongyang from Russian destinations during the mid 2000s operated by Il-62M and Il-86 aircraft. China Southern Airlines offered scheduled charter flights to and from Beijing during the peak season only, and permanently pulled its flights in October 2006. In March 2008, Air China re-established service to Beijing on a Boeing 737, three days a week, and suspended due to lack of demand on 22 November 2017. Air Koryo, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines also provided chartered flight services to Seoul and Yangyang on the east coast of South Korea from Pyongyang. These flights were used by Korean family members visiting divided families across the border; these services were halted after the ending of the Sunshine Policy by South Korea in 2008. In June 2018, Air China resumed service from Beijing Capital Airport to Pyongyang.

Modernization 
By early 2011, an interim facility handling international flights had been constructed just south of the existing terminal. By early 2012, demolition of the existing terminal, which Kim Jong-un deemed too small and outdated, had begun. In July 2012, he ordered the construction of a new terminal. Besides this, a new control tower and VIP terminal north of the main terminal were also constructed. The project became part of a "speed campaign", in which thousands of workers were enlisted to quickly complete it.

September 2017 missile test

On 15 September 2017 at about 6:30am KST, North Korea fired a Hwasong-12 missile from the airport. The missile travelled 3,700 kilometers (2,300 mi) and reached a maximum height of 770 kilometers (480 mi).

Infrastructure

Pyongyang International Airport has two passenger terminals. Terminal 1 opened in January 2016 and solely handles domestic flights. It is connected to Terminal 2, the international terminal that was inaugurated on 1 July 2015. The terminal has jet bridges and at least 12 check-in counters. Amenities include a duty-free store, coffee bar, newsstand and Internet room, along with a snack bar, pharmacy, CD/DVD shop and electronics shop.

Business class lounge with buffet is on the upper level along with an outdoor viewing area.

The airport has two functioning runways: one is designated 17/35 and measures , while the other, designated 01/19, measures .

Yonhap reported in September 2016 that a maintenance facility had been constructed at the Pyongyang airport. Located about  from runway 17/35, the facility includes aircraft hangars and apartment buildings for high-ranking officials and Air Koryo employees.

During the construction period, a hangar-like structure served the airport with basic services (baggage carousel), as well as a duty-free shop, and a bookshop/souvenir shop.

Airlines and destinations

Access
The airport is located approximately  from the city, about a 30-minute drive by the Pyongyang-Hicheon Expressway. In addition, Sunan Station located on the Pyongui Line of Korean State Railway is located  away from the Pyongyang airport terminal building.

Incidents 

 On February 16, 1958, a Douglas DC-3 of Korean National Airlines was hijacked on a flight from Busan to Seoul by 8 hijackers demanding to be taken to North Korea and landed here. All 34 occupants survived.
 On March 31, 1970, a Boeing 727-89 of JAL (JA8315) was hijacked on a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka by 9 hijackers demanding to be taken to North Korea and landed here. All 115 occupants survived.
 On August 15, 2006, a Tupolev Tu-154B-2 of Air Koryo (possibly P-561) suffered minor damage in a non-fatal runway mishap on landing from Beijing and was later repaired.

Gallery

See also
Mirim Airport
Pyongyang Air Base
Transport in North Korea
Wonsan Kalma International Airport

References

External links

360° virtual tour of the airport DPRK 360 photography project

Airports in North Korea
Transport in Pyongyang