Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE
THE INTERNATIONAL Air Transport Association (IATA) expects to conduct the first trials of international flights through North Korean airspace by October, following agreement with Pyongyang to open up its flight-information region (FIR).
IATA hopes that the proving flights will lead to new air routes being established by 1997. An initial 18-20 flights a day are likely to benefit from access to the Pyongyang FIR, suggests IATA regional technical director Tony Laven.
Flight times between Seoul and North America will be cut by as much as 1-1.5h. Aircraft no longer have to fly via the Tokyo FIR, but can use a more direct route along the North Korean coast.
North Korea has said that it will open its airspace to all international carriers, including Korean Air and Asiana. No flights, however, will be permitted to pass over the demilitarised zone, which divides the countries along the 38th parallel.
Foreign airlines operating between other Far East destinations and North America could also benefit, with the opening up of the proposed CNS5 route through North Korean airspace. CNS5 avoids China by crossing the Pyongyang FIR and going north via Chaybukha/Magadan, in Russia, to Barrow, in Alaska.
The CNS5 would cut the flying distance between Hong Kong and New York by 325km (175nm), compared to the existing, more southerly, NOPAC route. The alternative CNS2 route, to the US east coast via Harbin in China, while shorter than the NOPAC, is 75km longer than CNS5.
Hurdles still need to be overcome, before the Pyongyang FIR can be opened up to scheduled flights. An accord must be reached with neighbouring South Korea, for a direct datalink to be established between Seoul's Taegu FIR and North Korea.
Pyongyang FIR also needs to upgrade its communications with Beijing and Vladivostok, as well as establish a satellite datalink with Tokyo. As traffic increases, Pyongyang will need to improve its infrastructure further, including in- stalling a direct voice link to Taegu.
IATA has provided a small amount of financial assistance to North Korea to upgrade its communications. Pyongyang will repay the money using over-flight fees.
Source: Flight International
