From North Korea Economy Watch:
Air China finally lands in Pyongyang
According to Reuters, Air China on Monday launched service to North Korea, making it the world’s only foreign airline to fly regularly to Pyongyang…
… I predicted that Air China would primarily service Chinese customers, with Westerners sticking with Air Koryo, the North Korean airline. In separate conversations with Koryo Tours and Walter Keats both tour operators expressed a preference for Air Koryo because of its flexibility and unique atmosphere, neither of which Air China can easily match.
The time-warp effect travelers feel when boarding an Air Koryo flight, however, might be soon diminished. Largely at the insistence of Beijing, Air Koryo has recently updated its fleet to meet international safety standards. Although the stewardesses appearance and speaker announcement welcoming arrivals to the land of “juche paradise” will likely remain the same, the 1950’s era deco interior will certainly take on a more conventional feel.
UPDATE: Per reader request in the comments, we have added images and video.
The image above was taken from Last Known Location, the blog of an English couple who “decided to sell all our possessions, quit our jobs and go on a round the world backpacking trip.” This is the North Korea section of their blog, from which the video below is taken. It shows one of Pyongyang’s famous traffic ladies.