First direct flight from Pyongyang lands in Moscow

[MOSCOW] A passenger plane from Pyongyang landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Tuesday, the first direct flight from the North Korean capital to Moscow in decades as the two countries deepened ties.

The Boeing 777 aircraft, operated by Russia’s Nordwind Airlines, had already flown from Moscow to Pyongyang on Sunday.

It landed back in the Russian capital at 0750 GMT on Tuesday, completing its first round trip on the route, according to the website of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

The 440-seater plane was “completely full”, with most of the passengers being North Korean, Russia’s state RIA news agency reported.

Russian diplomat Matvei Krivosheyev, who was also on board, was quoted as saying it was the first such flight in almost three decades.

“We are confident that this flight will be in demand both by Russian tourists and by Korean comrades,” he told the RIA news agency.

Russia and North Korea have forged closer ties in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying troops and weapons for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.

The two countries signed a mutual defence pact last year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the reclusive state.

North Korea confirmed for the first time in April that it had deployed a contingent of its soldiers to the frontline in Ukraine, alongside Russian troops. AFP