Macau (MNA) – The Civil Aviation Authority of Macau SAR (AACM) has confirmed to MNA it has approved that North Korean state-owned national flag carrier Air Koryo can operate two, weekly, direct flights between the country’s capital, Pyongyang, and Macau starting from August 2 of this year.

According to the AACM, the new passenger route has been approved for a period starting from August 2 and lasting until October 26.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) requirements dictate that annual flight slots are separated into summer and winter seasons, with the summer season lasting from the last Sunday of March and ending on the last Saturday of October.

Air Koryo submitted the application to the AACM on July 17 this year, with the airline having to apply every season if it wants to extend the service in the city.

Founded in 1955, Air Koryo is the only national airline in North Korea and it operated flights between Pyongyang and Macau in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, with the route having already been approved, the company responsible for the Macau International Airport (MIA) told MNA that it has received an application by Air Koryo for operations in the airport with procedures to approve it on-going.

[Updated to include MIA’s response]