N. Korean airline banned from flying to Europe

SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- Air Koryo, North Korea's air carrier, has been banned from offering flight services to Europe for a fifth year after having failed to meet international safety requirements, U.S. international broadcaster Radio Free Asia (RFA) said Saturday.

The North Korean carrier has been involved in the list of carriers prohibiting from flying to the 27 members of European Union that was released this year, RFA said.

Fleet
A Tupolev Tu-154B-2 at Sunan International Airport.
Air Koryo’s Ilyushin Il-62M jetliner at Sunan International Airport.

Air Koryo operates the following aircraft (at 4 January 2010):[24]
Air Koryo Fleet Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Routes Notes Registrations
Antonov An-24 7 0 50 Domestic/regional Five An-24RV’s and two An-24R’s P-527, P-532, P-533, P-534 [25]
Ilyushin Il-18D 1 0 120 Vladivostok, Russia and domestic Planned for retirement 2010 P-835
Ilyushin Il-62M 4 0 1801 Beijing, Shenyang, Vladivostok, Bangkok and Moscow [26]
High Yeild and Long-haul routes One operated in VIP configuration P-618, P-881 , P-882, P-885
Mil Mi-172 17 [27] 0 32 Domestic/regional Operated from regional airports into Pyongyang P-101, P-102, P-103, P-104
Unknown numbers of helicopters in Air Koryo livery (government owned)
Tupolev Tu-154[28] 4 0 1421 China, Russia, Japan and South Korea
Medium and Short Haul One Tu-154B2 and three Tu-154B’s P-551, P-552, P-553, P-561
Tupolev Tu-134B-3 3 0 84 China, Russia and government charters
Short Haul Possibly be raplaced by new regional jets P-812, P-813, P-814
Tupolev Tu-204-300 1 1 1521 Beijing, Bangkok [13][14] ,Shenyang, Vladivostok and Singapore [seasonal]
Medium Haul One on order P-632 and P-63-
Tupolev Tu-204-100B 0 1 2101[29] T.B.A
Medium Haul On order due to enter service in 2010 by Ilyushin Finance co. P-???
Serial number is 64013 [30]
Air Koryo Cargo Fleet Aircraft Total capacity
(Max.Weight) Routes Notes
Ilyushin Il-18V [31] 1 34.5 Tons cargo Regional and medium-haul routes
China and Russia P-836
Ilyushin IL-76MD 3 44 Tons cargo Charter work also catered for P-912, P-913, P-914
Mil Mi-17 15 [32] Domestic and regional routes P-101, P-102, P-103, P-104
Unknown numbers operating solely for cargo operations

Notes

* Note 1: Air Koryo only offers Business class seating on these specific aircraft types

[edit] Modernization

Air Koryo is searching for new aircraft to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era planes. The new planes would be Russian-made, given the existence of sanctions from the US and the EU . Air Koryo is considering the Ilyushin Il-96, Tupolev Tu-204 (which have already been ordered) and Sukhoi Superjet 100s to replace their Tupolev Tu-154 and Tu-134 aircraft. The Tupolev Tu-204s are capable of flying to Moscow non-stop.[33] Air Koryo have also installed LCD screens in their Tu-204’s which now show safety demonstrations and movies. Air Koryo also have purchased new airport low floor buses. In the recent Airliner world magazine Air Koryo will be trying to gain EU certification to fly into EU airspace. This would give Air Koryo the chance to resume scheduled flights to Berlin in the future.
[edit] Tupolev Tu-204

The first Tupolev Tu-204-300 for Air Koryo was officially handed over to the carrier on December 27, 2007, and was ferried from Ulyanovsk to Pyongyang. It has been fitted out with 8 business class seats and the remaining 145 seats are economy.[34] This is the first Tupolev Tu-204-300 to be exported out of Russia, and Air Koryo has a firm order for another one.

The Tu-204-300, is now operating on the Pyongyang-Beijing, Pyongyang-Singapore (seasonal), Pyongyang-Shenyang and Pyongyang-Bangkok routes (which was resumed by the newly delivered tupolev jet in 2007[14]). Its first revenue earning flight was made on May 8, 2008. The range of the Tu-204-300 means Air Koryo can start flights to Tehran which is in planning. Rumour has spread that Air Koryo has ordered another version of the Tu-204 jet being the Tu-204-100 which is a longer version of their currently operated Tu-204-300.

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