<p>After a hiatus of three years post the extensive COVID-19 curbs, the first North Korean international commercial flight landed in Beijing on Tuesday (August 22). This comes after North Korea reinstated its international commercial flight operations, marking a significant shift in its stringent border policies, media reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The resumption of international travel came as North Korea's state airline, Air Koryo, successfully landed at Beijing's Capital Airport at approximately 9:17 am local time (0117 GMT), the first flight since early 2020. The flight's departure from the North Korean capital took place at&nbsp;around 8:30 am local time (2330 GMT), as per Flightradar24.</p>

<p>The flight designated as JS151 was seen as having arrived by an arrivals board observed by an AFP reporter at the airport.</p>

<p>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-air-defence-intercepts-and-downs-two-attack-drones-near-moscow-627704">Russian Air Defence intercepts and downs two 'attack drones' near Moscow</a></p>

<h2><strong>China gives nod for flights resumption</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

<p>China announced on Monday (August 21) that it has granted approval for the resumption of commercial flights between Beijing and the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.</p>

<p>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-threatens-thermonuclear-war-over-camp-david-summit-and-us-south-korea-drills-627702">North Korea threatens 'thermonuclear war' over Camp David summit and US-South Korea drills</a></p>

<p>During a regular press briefing, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said, "During the summer and autumn flight season... the Chinese side approved flight plans for passengers such as the Pyongyang-Beijing and Beijing-Pyongyang routes of Air Koryo."&nbsp;</p>

<p>As Air Koryo was set to return to the Chinese skies on August 21, there was an abrupt cancellation of flights.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>North Korea's diplomatic engagements</strong>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Foreign officials from China and Russia attended a military parade in Pyongyang, marking the first visit by foreign dignitaries in years.&nbsp;Additionally, North Korea allowed a delegation of athletes to participate in a taekwondo competition in Kazakhstan. These developments signify a departure from North Korea's isolationist policies that had been in place since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>

<p><strong>Watch | Beijing's fruit diplomacy turns sour as China bans imports of Taiwanese mangoes</strong></p>

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<p>Looking ahead, Air Koryo is reportedly scheduled to operate two flights between Vladivostok, Russia, and Pyongyang on coming Friday (August 25) and Monday (August 28).&nbsp;</p>

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After a hiatus of three years post the extensive COVID-19 curbs, the first North Korean international commercial flight landed in Beijing on Tuesday (August 22).

After a hiatus of three years post the extensive COVID-19 curbs, the first North Korean international commercial flight landed in Beijing on Tuesday (August 22). This comes after North Korea reinstated its international commercial flight operations, marking a significant shift in its stringent border policies, media reports said. The resumption of international travel came as North Korea's state airline, Air Koryo, successfully landed at Beijing's Capital Airport at approximately 9:17 am local time (0117 GMT), the first flight since early 2020. The flight's departure from the North Korean capital took place at around 8:30 am local time (2330 GMT), as per Flightradar24. The flight designated as JS151 was seen as having arrived by an arrivals board observed by an AFP reporter at the airport. Also Read | Russian Air Defence intercepts and downs two 'attack drones' near Moscow China gives nod for flights resumption China announced on Monday (August 21) that it has granted approval for the resumption of commercial flights between Beijing and the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. Also Read | North Korea threatens 'thermonuclear war' over Camp David summit and US-South Korea drills During a regular press briefing, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said, "During the summer and autumn flight season... the Chinese side approved flight plans for passengers such as the Pyongyang-Beijing and Beijing-Pyongyang routes of Air Koryo." As Air Koryo was set to return to the Chinese skies on August 21, there was an abrupt cancellation of flights. North Korea's diplomatic engagements Foreign officials from China and Russia attended a military parade in Pyongyang, marking the first visit by foreign dignitaries in years. Additionally, North Korea allowed a delegation of athletes to participate in a taekwondo competition in Kazakhstan. These developments signify a departure from North Korea's isolationist policies that had been in place since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch | Beijing's fruit diplomacy turns sour as China bans imports of Taiwanese mangoes × Looking ahead, Air Koryo is reportedly scheduled to operate two flights between Vladivostok, Russia, and Pyongyang on coming Friday (August 25) and Monday (August 28). WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

North Korea's first international commercial flight lands in Beijing after 3-year COVID-19 hiatus

<p>The fourth commercial&nbsp;flight&nbsp;of Jeff Bezos' space&nbsp;tourism&nbsp;venture&nbsp;Blue&nbsp;Origin, offering short suborbital joyrides to well-heeled thrill-seekers and celebrity guests, was due for liftoff on Tuesday from the company's&nbsp;launch&nbsp;site in rural west Texas.</p>

<p>Blue&nbsp;Origin's&nbsp;New Shepard spacecraft was slated for&nbsp;launch&nbsp;at 8:30 a.m. CDT (1330 GMT) with six would-be citizen&nbsp;astronauts strapped into the crew cabin atop the fully autonomous&nbsp;launch&nbsp;vehicle, standing nearly six stories tall, outside Van Horn, Texas.</p>

<p>But unlike&nbsp;Blue&nbsp;Origin's&nbsp;first three commercial&nbsp;flights, with passenger rosters including "Star Trek" actor William Shatner, morning TV host Michael Strahan and even Bezos himself, nobody among the latest group of customers even comes close to being famous.</p>

<p>The most recent household name confirmed as a non-paying promotional guest, "Saturday Night Live" comic Pete Davidson, dropped out earlier this month when the planned&nbsp;launch&nbsp;was postponed for six days from its original March 23 date to allow time for additional pre-flight&nbsp;tests.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/just-when-bezos-yacht-demands-unexpected-costs-amazon-prime-raises-price-450426">Just when Bezos’ yacht demands unexpected costs, Amazon Prime raises price</a></strong></p>

<p>Days later the company announced that Davidson, 28, the boyfriend of reality TV star Kim Kardashian, had been replaced on the latest "crew" manifest by veteran&nbsp;Blue&nbsp;Origin designer Gary Lai, architect of the New Shepard reusable&nbsp;launch&nbsp;system.</p>

<p>Lai is flying for free. He joins five previously announced paying customers - angel investor Marty Allen, real estate veteran Marc Hagle and his wife Sharon Hagle, entrepreneur and University of North Carolina professor Jim Kitchen and George Nield, founder-president of Commercial Space Technologies.</p>

<p>Kitchen's journey to the final frontier caps a lifelong dedication to travel that has taken him to all 193 U.N.-recognized countries, according to biographical material from&nbsp;Blue&nbsp;Origin.</p>

<p>Tuesday's entire&nbsp;flight, from liftoff to touchdown, is expected to last just over 10 minutes. The crew will experience a few minutes of weightlessness at the very apex of their suborbital ride, some 350,000 feet (106,680 metres) high, before their capsule falls back to Earth for a parachute landing on the desert floor.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/heres-how-jeff-bezos-superyacht-messing-up-with-history-of-this-dutch-port-city-450146">Here's how Jeff Bezos' superyacht messing up with history of this Dutch port city</a></strong></p>

<p>Bezos, the billionaire founder of online retail giant Amazon, tagged along himself on&nbsp;Blue&nbsp;Origin's&nbsp;inaugural crewed&nbsp;flight&nbsp;to the edge of space last July.</p>

<p>He accompanied his brother, Mark Bezos, trailblazing octogenarian female aviator Wally Funk and an 18-year-old Dutch high school graduate.</p>

<p>Later passengers included Shatner, who became the oldest person to fly to space at age 90, "Good Morning America" co-host and retired NFL star Strahan, and the eldest daughter of pioneering&nbsp;astronaut Alan Shepard, for whom&nbsp;Blue&nbsp;Origin's&nbsp;spacecraft is named.</p>


The fourth commercial flight of Jeff Bezos' space tourism venture Blue Origin, offering short suborbital joyrides to well-heeled thrill-seekers and celebrity guests, was due for liftoff on Tuesday from the company's launch site in rural west Texas.

The fourth commercial flight of Jeff Bezos' space tourism venture Blue Origin, offering short suborbital joyrides to well-heeled thrill-seekers and celebrity guests, was due for liftoff on Tuesday from the company's launch site in rural west Texas. Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft was slated for launch at 8:30 a.m. CDT (1330 GMT) with six would-be citizen astronauts strapped into the crew cabin atop the fully autonomous launch vehicle, standing nearly six stories tall, outside Van Horn, Texas. But unlike Blue Origin's first three commercial flights, with passenger rosters including "Star Trek" actor William Shatner, morning TV host Michael Strahan and even Bezos himself, nobody among the latest group of customers even comes close to being famous. The most recent household name confirmed as a non-paying promotional guest, "Saturday Night Live" comic Pete Davidson, dropped out earlier this month when the planned launch was postponed for six days from its original March 23 date to allow time for additional pre-flight tests. Also read | Just when Bezos’ yacht demands unexpected costs, Amazon Prime raises price Days later the company announced that Davidson, 28, the boyfriend of reality TV star Kim Kardashian, had been replaced on the latest "crew" manifest by veteran Blue Origin designer Gary Lai, architect of the New Shepard reusable launch system. Lai is flying for free. He joins five previously announced paying customers - angel investor Marty Allen, real estate veteran Marc Hagle and his wife Sharon Hagle, entrepreneur and University of North Carolina professor Jim Kitchen and George Nield, founder-president of Commercial Space Technologies. Kitchen's journey to the final frontier caps a lifelong dedication to travel that has taken him to all 193 U.N.-recognized countries, according to biographical material from Blue Origin. Tuesday's entire flight, from liftoff to touchdown, is expected to last just over 10 minutes. The crew will experience a few minutes of weightlessness at the very apex of their suborbital ride, some 350,000 feet (106,680 metres) high, before their capsule falls back to Earth for a parachute landing on the desert floor. Also read | Here's how Jeff Bezos' superyacht messing up with history of this Dutch port city Bezos, the billionaire founder of online retail giant Amazon, tagged along himself on Blue Origin's inaugural crewed flight to the edge of space last July. He accompanied his brother, Mark Bezos, trailblazing octogenarian female aviator Wally Funk and an 18-year-old Dutch high school graduate. Later passengers included Shatner, who became the oldest person to fly to space at age 90, "Good Morning America" co-host and retired NFL star Strahan, and the eldest daughter of pioneering astronaut Alan Shepard, for whom Blue Origin's spacecraft is named.

Blue Origin's 4th astro-tourism flight set to launch without big names

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