The flight, JS151, arrived at 9:17 a.m. , shortly ahead of its scheduled time. It wasn't immediately clear who was aboard, but Western tour companies that operated in North Korea said it appeared to be a special flight that would on the return carry back North Koreans who had been trapped in China by the years of border closures.
In a first since before the pandemic, Chinese and Russian government delegations flew to Pyongyang last month and last week buses carrying North Korean athletes to a taekwondo tournament in Kazakhstan crossed the border into China. "This flight isn’t a full resumption of the route yet, it is a special flight for Koreans only to take people home again after years being stuck overseas," said Simon Cockerell, general manager at Beijing-based Koryo Tours. "The same as the flights that seem likely to happen soon from Vladivostok."border fences
It is unclear how many from the North Korean community - mostly students and people who work in restaurants and government-related jobs in areas such as tourism and cultural promotion - still remain in China. One diplomat for a Western country that pulled its staff from its embassy in Pyongyang said there was no official word from North Korean officials on when they could return.