Hello, Syrian here. In Syria we have a similar issue, albiet not to the same extent. On multiple occasions I have boarded pretty old TU-134s. The experience of flying an old, practically extinct jet is pretty cool to me, even with the knowledge that they are pretty unsafe. Edit: for those interested, the aircraft reg is YK-AYF
@@cobyexplanes For starters, it seems that the airplane is way more noisy than newer jets. The seats visually look like they have seen better days, and probably weren't revamped in a long time. The flight is less comfortable, especially when landing, but all in all it is still more exciting than a 320 or 737 trip if you are an aircraft enthusiast, otherwise it would just be a less comfortable flight for the normal person.
Definitely a museum piece, but I do have to admit I think few planes have ever looked so classically beautiful as the Tu-134. The only comparable sense of style, I'd say, is with the IL-62.
flew Air Koryo TU 204 in 2016. The flight and service was much better than expected. Landing in Pyongyang was weird, as there was no traffic, we went from cruising altitude to landing in 5 mins
Which is why it confuses me, why would they bother with having a national airline when Chinese airlines could service the route anyway? The vast majority of tourists are from China with westerners making up a fraction of that. In addition to the fact that tourism makes up a relatively small percentage of their gdp it's hardly as if the population can afford to travel anyway.
@@callanharvey2293 It would be pretty bad PR if your country didn't have a flag carrier. Also the North Korean government has a lot more control over Air Koryo than Chinese airlines. If for example the government wants to prop up (domestic) tourism in Chongjin, they will maintain Pyongyang-Chongjin flights even if it is not economical or profitable. Chinese airlines won't do that for you. Also if an earthquake or something strikes somewhere and food, tents, doctors, KPA rescue units need to be moved, and the air force is stretched too tight, then Air Koryo's fleet could step in to help with logistics. If you ask China for help, then to help or not would be at the descretion of the Chinese government, and even if help is provided that is an IOU that you need to repay later, which is a liability you'd rather not have.
@@real_dddf yeah I suppose it would look bad but by the same token north Korea could have 1 plane and manipulate it to look like an entire fleet, the people wouldn't know any better and those who do know wouldn't dare say anything. I think aswell with China they have the luxury of such a high population and such close proximity to Pyongyang that the cost of flights could increase and those who can afford to pay will inevitably pay. North Korea get income from tourism and china airways doesn't have to worry about any fees associated with landing in the capitol.
@@real_dddf can N Korea have worse PR than they have now? I don’t think that having a national airline would cause anyone to say:” wow look at N Korea modernize their ways.”
I'm far less concerned with the safety aspect of flying Air Koryo than I am about flying to/from the DPRK. The latter is far more dangerous as far as I'm concerned. The state itself has claimed more lives (even Western lives) than this airline has since the 80s.
-I am convinced that people go there because of the danger. The same sort of adrenalin junkie is the person who buys an old Porsche 930 or an original Dodge Viper, both of which are "pet cobras". That is, they are possessions that WANT to kill you. Both those cars are fucking dangerous and so is North Korea! The ability to own these "animals" and stay alive apparently appeals to some people, and I think this explains DPRK tourism.
I was thinking the same. Especially if also taken into count the hell you could get if something goes wrong outside the plane (which is much more likely). It could be years of suffering in a filthy prison with starvation and torture (that will likely end up with death - or life long injuries, if ever released) That would be worse than any plane crash, could ever be.
@SpaceAce100 Apparently, if you photograph a statue of "Great Leader" or "Dear Leader" from the wrong angle you will be escorted OUT of North Korea! WHAT? I can understand how they venerate their previous leaders, but making the mistake of taking a picture from the wrong angle? Pyongyang is FULL of interesting architecture, and if this country ever opens up then the capital city will be a photographers bonanza!
I flew a domestic route within North Korea aboard Air Koryo (Pyongyang - Orang) back in 2017. First and only commercial flight I've ever been on with a clearly labelled escape rope at one of the emergency exits.
@David Dunn It was part of a Young Pioneers tour which began in Pyongyang and then moved to the more rural north-eastern regions (Chongjin and Rason were the main cities) before crossing the Chinese land border to finish. Definitely an infrequent/semi-rare route but not unheard of for foreign tourists.
As somebody from tiny soviet town my first flying experiences were on grass field airport with an old soviet Antonov An-2 biplanes. Even though I prayed often for my life I didn't realize how cool it all was back then. I really miss flying different airplanes.
@@EKC2024 because only communists countries like them and NK doesn’t fly to Europe and Russia is banned from doing so. Also the age of the aircraft means that it won’t pass European airworthiness flying certifications.
@@EKC2024 cause only embassy staffs and government officials are allowed to go abroad? Some exceptions are also made for North Korean students that could also go abroad for an education mostly to ex-soviet aligned countries or neutral countries like Russia, China or Switzerland, Kim Jong Un himself spent his early childhood in Switzerland.
Delta’s 757s are so immaculate and smooth, with their fully upgraded/renovated cabins it feels like a brand new jet. I’m sad that they will have to be phased out in time
The 757is a great aircraft and generously overpowered. The only criticism I would level is that its quite a large aircraft to be single isle. I can contest to this when disembarking a Friday night flight into Heathrow.
They fill a unique niche in being perfect for long range small capacity economical point to point routes avoiding main hubs. This is becoming more popular to the point there was rumours of putting the 757 back in production. My personal favourite due to it's steep take off angle and climb rate. Like a homesick angel!
I flew on a iceland air 757 with a malaise brown plastic cabin a few years back. i thought the lights were dimmed but that's just how bright they were. still alive so it flew ok i guess.
From 1991 they flew charters to Nagoya, Japan for several years. The pilots were not proficient in English, and air traffic control was confused. They were instructed to wait until 05:30 (several minutes), followed by 30 minutes of silence, and on one day they took off without clearance. The equipment was also tattered and had various troubles such as the transmitter stack.
I've been following Air Koryo for a number of years. Their legacy fleet is not used much these days. Most flights are conducted with the newer Tu-204 and An-148. The older jets probably fly a couple times a month if that, for domestic charters and the occasional scheduled flight to Vladivostok, Russia if a newer aircraft is unavailable. China won't allow the legacy fleet in their airspace since 2016 or so. The limited destinations Air Koryo serves means that all of their scheduled flights can be conducted by the 4 newest aircraft that they have on hand. They'd probably expand a bit if they could get more planes but are doing okay for now
I flew three round-trip Air Koryo flights from Beijing to the DPRK in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Each time I flew on an IL-62 with four tail-mounted engines. These were the scariest flight experiences in my life. We boarded the plane from stairs up from the tarmac in a somewhat unused part of the Beijing airport. As I climbed the stairs, I looked down at the tires and could see severe wear on the treads -- the threads were literally showing through. This gave me a lot of pause as I considered that Air Koryo relies on Russian parts and probably Russian technicians for service, and that these were likely in short supply since DPRK relations with Russia were shaky at that time. We seemed to careen down the runway on takeoff and landing, veering from side to side in a way that I hadn't experienced before in a plane. Once in the air, though, it was pretty smooth.
According to Wikipedia, Air Korya had only one crash in 1983, when 26 people died. Moreover, the plane was produced in 1981 and crashed into a mountain in bad weather conditions.
Old is generally not a problem with well maintained aircraft. New or relatively new is not a substitute for good maintenance. We have DC 3s that are still in service.
@@aregularperson7573 They can diassemble some aircraft for spare parts but I don't know how many they afford and that is not a sustainable way to work on long term
Im certainly not an expert, just an enthusiast, but I’m sure they could at least find spare parts for their Tu-204 and 154s; the 204s are still in production and the 154s only left production ten years ago, after nearly 1,000 were built 🤷♂️
Main issue for Air Koryo isn’t where to get new aircraft, it’s the fact that UN sanctions ban the sale of all aircraft to North Korea (though not aircraft parts, which is how they keep their current fleet running). Perhaps the best way to predict the modernisation program is to look at the model they had before the borders closed- newer Tu-204/214s on international routes, An-148s on short haul international and some domestic routes, easy to maintain An-24s on domestic routes, and the much older soviet fleet propping up the schedule with occasional charter work. Problem now with the war in Ukraine is the lack of support for the An-148s. This means all international routes now have to be flown by the 204s, with much older aircraft (Tu-134s, Il-18) having to be used domestically. Personally think that after the borders re-open, North Korea will have to rely more on Chinese and Russian airlines for international travel. Do you think the light western aircraft (P-750s etc) acquired by North Korea might have a future with Air Koryo?
An-148/158 was more russian then ukrainian due to % of equipment, so I consider this project closed for now. Hope when war will be finished and Antonov become part of UAC, we'll see new An-s, but now "antonov" almost dead.
Les vieux avions soviétiques sont de très bonne fiabilité donc bien plus sur que les avions occidentaux qui seraient déjà hors service car victimes de l'obsolescence programmé.
Even with domestic engines, the COMAC designs will still have a lot of western components. They are intended to be globally competitive, not just sanctions-busters. The Chinese part count will def increase over time as their domestic industries get more civil aerospace exposure and experience, but I don't think they envisage a 100% domestically built aircraft - no more than Boeing or Airbus do. Given Russia is doing precisely the opposite and going all-in on sanctions-proofing, all else be damned, I think they'll wind up going for more TU-204/TU-214s when they can. Russia has put in huge domestic orders, but they all desperately need friends and currency, so slotting in 2 production slots a year for the TU-204/214 and say 3 a year for the IL-114 turboprops, would make sense. AK's fleet is only small (~20 planes total, including the newer ones), so even that small amount should easily let them refresh within a few years.
@@lmlmd2714 COMAC is designed to be competitive with western components for now. Indeed, the C919 is literally buying everything abroad and piecing it together at home, but the end goal is to stimulate domestic suppliers for each component and ultimately make it as made in China (or non-hostile countries) as possible, and become a sanctions buster. It is just that at this stage COMAC would not survive if busting sanctions was the first priority. Actually, I'd say that Air Koryo could buy Chinese military planes like the Y-20 and convert them for passenger use. It already operates Il-76s so I don't see why it won't be feasible. Military planes aren't good planes (fuel efficiency and comfort wise), but they are reliable and safe enough, and have the benefit of being 100% domestic and hence can be freely exported.
That is very much not a good mentality for planes. One of the biggest concerns for aircraft are pressurization cycles. With an improperly maintained plane, with a missed crack in the fuselage, it's possible that the plane could rip apart during the pressurization. Edit: found the one I was thinking about en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243
Hi Coby. I flew from Beijing to Pyongyang back in 2014 at the beginning of my 10 day tour. It was a Tupplov air raft and to be honest it was a really good flight and the aircraft appeared in nice condition. I was aware of Air Koryo,s 1 star rating before I went, but that didn’t bother me. In fact the worst thing about the flight was the awful burger in a bun thing they served. The return flight with them was also great.
I watched a 67 year old Boeing KC135 tanker on Flight Radar24 flying around the Black Sea, so yes age is not an indicator of ability to do its job! Great video by the way.
I have heard that the KC-135's still flying usually have only about 12,000-15,000 hours on the clock, which makes them relatively new. They have been re-engined with high-bypass turbofan engines.
As an incurable Avgeek, I was part of an Aviation Tour in May, 2013 and privileged to experience all aircraft types with the exception of the AN-2, the IL-14, the helicopters and the shorter version, the TU-204-300. A few of my video footages have been shared in this video with the source of JUST PLANES and can be seen in full length in my video channel. I would say, it is safe to fly these aircraft, as safe travel and the image of Air Koryo matters most to the North Korean Government. The planes are maintained well and other aircraft seem to be used as parts sponsors. On my trip, all 12 flights were absolutely on-time, if not too say, even early, however I can only speak for myself. Last but not least, I have my fair share of doubts about SKYTRAX ratings.
What about the Xian MA60? (and it's variants). Perfectly fine regional aircraft which already have been delivered to neighbors of China like Laos. I am not sure which routes Air Koryo flies, but it's range is sufficient for flying to Beijing.
Even though this wasn't aircraft fault directly, but merpati Nusantara flight 8968 gave the plane a bad rep in much of the world. Don't know if Kim-who-just-lost-weight-the-third would care or not.
Flew three times with Air Koryo about a decade ago, twice with a Ilyushin Il-62M, and once with the much more modern Tupolev Tu-204 (which actually are allowed to fly to Europe, and have done so a few times). I had plans for another trip in 2015 for the 60th anniversary of Air Koryo, which not only would have included flights in and out of the country with the Ilyushin, but also several domestic flights with much older planes, but that whole trip got cancelled when North Korea closed its border entirely because of the Ebola outbreak back then. But honestly, I never been concerned with the safety of those planes. Flying in general is so extremely safe, and even if these don't meet the highest international standards, would they be more dangerous than, say, driving a car or a bike? It's not like those Ilyushins are rickety contraptions, they're just old and even seem quite well kept. And on those Ilyushins, there's always a couple of mechanics on board as apparently in China they don't know how to service these planes anymore. Flying with Air Koryo is also quite a different experience than with most others. I mean, no safety instructions, although on the Tupolev you'll be wished a safe flight on behalf of the Great (and very dead) Leader Kim Il-Sung. On inbound flights from China you might get a decent meal, on outbound flights usually their infamous "hamburger". And the surprisingly decent Ryongsong beer. You want something to read? You can get a North Korean newspaper or magazine in a variety of languages... But what stood out most to me was the sound of those Ilyushins....so loud, so high pitched. Unlike any other plane I've ever been on. For a little taste of that: ruclips.net/video/AZkfctKLVRY/видео.html
@@YHDiamond and how will they continuously fly planes and parts from someplace in Africa to North Korea without flying over countries that don’t want North Korean planes over their airspace? Also, whoever does do this will probably no longer be able to buy Airbus Boeing Embraer or other manufacturers aircraft and parts. It’s economical suicide.
I flew Air Koryo in 2013, Beijing-Pyongyang-Beijing, on a TU-204. While I didn't have any safety concerns, as the TU-204 was still fairly new at the time I flew and is considerably more modern than most of their fleet, I didn't have high expectations for the flight. The check-in didn't open on time in Beijing and when it did, we were tucked away in a remote corner of the old terminal. I'm not sure if the people checking us in were Air Koryo staff or a Chinese handling agent, but they wore a very basic uniform and little Kim badges. There were a lot of generals around, checking in huge amounts of boxes of God-Knows-What, I found it funny they used iPhones. At the gate, we were next to a Korean Air flight to ICN, I somewhat expected some of the Koreans to chat, but I saw no mingling. We boarded pretty much on time and it was fairly normal. As we boarded, North Korean music played through the cabin. While the seats were pretty comfortable, there were obviously no modern features like USB charging or personal TV screens. What was quite odd was that there was a large gap between us tourists (about 30 in total) and the generals who all sat several rows behind us (one or two of whom smoked during the flight), in a curtained-off rear cabin. We had to pass by these men to get to the toilet. There were also 3 or 4 empty rows between foreigners and Koreans on our flight. We got given food and a drink before we even left the gate, which was very odd, and then no service for the rest of the flight. As we pushed back the safety video played. It looked very dated, like a corporate promotion video from the early 1980s. We taxied for ages and then throttled up to take off, only for the plane to make it about halfway down the runway and then slowed down and exited pretty promptly. We went back to the gate, and an hour later, after some engineers came and inspected the plane and a massive storm cloud passed, we taxied to another runway, seemingly where no other traffic was departing from, and we departed straight out. The inflight entertainment was a mix of Korean war movies and outright anti-western propaganda. You had no choice but to listen, as the movie blared out through the whole cabin, There was also a Korean newspaper to read, but no inflight magazine. About half way into the flight we got given landing papers for the DPRK and shortly after passing over North Korean airspace, an announcement came from the cockpit thanking the eternal guidance of Kim Il Sung to get us there. No further announcements were made until landing. Upon landing, it was clear half the Air Koryo fleet hadn't moved for some time as the other aircraft seemed to be missing engines and one case, nosegear. Another was missing a tail. We taxied for a while and came to an abrupt halt on what I assume was a stand. The army welcomed the planed and we walked over to the (now demolished) terminal. The new terminal was only just starting to be built then. Immigration and customs were surprisingly easy and friendly and we were out of the airport about 90 minutes after landing. For some inexplicable reason, baggage handling was incredibly slow. It looked like there were plenty of people around the airport. On the way back we got to the airport right as check-in was closing. There really wasn't much to see or do in Pyongyang Airport. A tiny coffee shop, a shop that sold some expensive duty-free and souvenirs and an outdoor area where you could see the planes, although most were quite far away from the terminal. We were allowed to take photos to our heart's content, and the soldiers practically encouraged it. Our aircraft was the same as the one we took to Pyongyang a week earlier, although this time it was parked on a very remote stane and we had to take a surprisingly modern airside bus to it. The return flight was a carbon copy of the first, with the same music playing on boarding, and the same movies playing in the same order, only this time we got food in the air (exactly the same mystery meat burger, which was cold) and they gave us a copy of a North Korean newspaper, in English. I did notice some people folding the paper in half, which I thought wasn't allowed as it had an image of the leader on the front page, but perhaps as they were leaving North Korea they didn't care. We had exactly the same crew as the previous flight and landed at the exact same gate in Beijing. All in all, a very interesting experience, although I'm in no rush to go back to North Korea, the airline and TU-204 were both perfectly pleasant, if not a little strange, to fly with.
@@PhonoDirect yes! He implies that Russia can and will build aircrafts in age when everyone is trying to point out that Russia will soon produce nothing.
yeah, in my knowledge Russian aviation is mature... to the point of stagnation. Russian engines are good, and are still being studied and learned from by China, but I feel it is out of line with GE or RR engines at this point. Lots of development is done through "archeology"; that is, going through old Soviet documents to re-learn how to build stuff. It's like an athlete after a crippling injury (that injury happened in 1991); you need to catch up to your former self before you can go on to create more breakthroughs. But with the state of Russia's economy, there isn't much hope into pushing the aviation industry back to its former glory.
Dangerous airline? With how many crashes over the years? I flew Air Koryo around 8 years ago. DPRK deserves criticism for a lot of things, not for an airline with 0 fatalities.
i would fly with an airline which has a track record of not a single accident since last 40 years rather than reputable airlines with track records of accidents.
I flew Air Koryo to DPRK in 2007 on an Ilyushin-62 very smooth ride Beijing to Pyongyang. Excellent flight service, very satisfying and tasty meal in flight. Honestly it was a first rate flying experience.
Great video! Rarely does anyone speak about North Korea unless they are doing something, we in the west, find reprehensible. Great job of being super informative!
Yeah, I did the NK trip. flew in a Tupolov. It felt like I was flying on a plane from the 80's with the little ash tray in the arm rest, and the terrible rough fabric on the seat. and of course there was a lot of wear and tear on the carpet runner on the floor. But seemed OK. Wasn't a long flight from Beijing to Pyongyang.
Man, it would be cool if production engines had those nifty LEDs in them. You could make them red for faster speed, blue for better cooling, or green for "eco mode". 🙃
The main Tu-204-300s used on international routes are relatively new, from the 2000s. The EU did ban the airline from 2008 due to poor transparency with regards to maintenance, but the ban was lifted again in 2010. The problem now is sanctions, which don't allow the airline to fly to Europe.
Well-presented. I'm thinking there are two more solutions. 1. Move Air Koryo completely out of North Korea. Or 2. Change North Korea. Not seeing either happening anytime soon, least of all voluntarily. :)
I’m did once fly from Beijing to Pyongyang DPRK on a rainy day in 1989 on a Koryo Airlines jet. It was a petrifying experience but not for the reason you might imagine. The flight was fine and we all landed safely onto the wet runway but the aircraft for some reason stopped taxiing well short of the terminal building and the passengers were asked to disembark. 150 or so North Koreans descended the stairs in heavy rain to find the buses hadn’t arrived so decided to stand under the wings for shelter. 100% of the Koreans then decided to light up their cigarettes all at the same time after the long flight oblivious to the fact that they were standing under 2 huge fuel tanks!! I’ve never moved so fast.
The simpler, more cost effective option at the moment is to develop a stronger maintenance program. Aircraft are generally maintained well enough that age really has little to no bearing on safety.
Really, and parts, he did say so, so, so many Legacy aircraft parts, are simply Unavailable, When one of your turbine blades goes, that's a pretty tough part to replace, Even in America, due to the materials to make them
REV THR before landing = lol mixed with Dafuq?? Same clip at @10:30 and way funnier when you know it’s coming haha Just bc you can doesn’t mean you should. I’ve never flown that type or know the situation/procedure there. Still wild
I'm tired of creators telling me to hit the bell and subscribe; just put your videos out man and focus on creating good content. If you do that, then naturally people will subscribe. But damn just stop with the patronizing.
Russia still has a lot of Tu-154s abandoned. They are not so fuel efficient, so they are not used. Still they are still in good shape. North Korea could buy the most fresh ones.
Your channel is a trouvaille! I am a beginner economist, and for me it is very valuable to know more about the state difference industries are in. So I encourage you to make more videos uncovering and explaining the nuances of the industry, thank you very very much! :)
I flew many times these planes in Ukraine and Russia (Tu-134, Tu-154, Yak-40, Yak-42, An-2, An-24, An-148, L-410 - the last one was made in Czech Republic). It was a phantasmagoric experience when during descend in Yak-42 clouds of vapour started blowing out from the sealing of the cabin 😅 In general, actually interesting, but I wouldn't say "nice experience". No wish to repeat it. It is probably better to try vintage airplanes in EU or US.
@@borisafanasiev2365 It's true (luck, chance), but it was always dream to get disconnected from "sovok", "post-sovok" and everything connected with the past including native languages :) Dreams tend to come true sometimes, with some effort :)
Still remember flying on an Air Koryo IL62 to Zurich back when they flew there. Here’s some context. It was December 21, I was in Beijing on business and needed to get home for Christmas. My flight on United was canceled. The next available flight direct to SFO (where me and my entire family were gonna meet at my sisters house) was on Christmas Day. I was so bummed until I looked over at the Air Koryo check-in counter. Saw a flight to Pyongyang on a TU154, I asked the check in agent about a flight to Zurich via Pyongyang. To my luck there was a flight to Zurich that would leave me with a 2 hour stop in Pyongyang, if PERFECT! Instantly booked my flight on Swiss from ZUR to SFO. Got to fly on a TU154 and IL62! Even treated myself to seat 1A on both AK flights and even the Swiss flight thanks to my secret stash of Star Alliance points.
Air Koryo is Singapore Airlines compared to ANY airline from my Country, Venezuela 🇻🇪. I worked some time in the maintenance hangar for LASER airlines (the worstest of the worst) and the quantity of unsafe operations and procedure that I've saw there, literally made me resign because I knew that I will see a deadly accident (both in the hangar and with the passenger filled "wrecks"-airplanes-) really soon. Venezuela haves the oldest planes in the world in operations. Laser and Aserca still have DC-9s flying and you can have and idea on how good is the ingenieering those planes, that they still fly without having any good maintenance since the last 30 years. As Incredible as this might sound, 40 years ago, VIASA the main Venezuelan airline was considered among the 3 best airlines in the world competing against Swissair and Pan Am for a long period of time. The Social-Comunism from the late 90s up to this day destroyed the whole country included the airline business.
I have flown Air Koryo in its newest Ilyushin Il-62M (Pyongyang-Bejing) and perception as passenger was way better than many other carriers I have tried.
@@cobyexplanes Tu-214's are avaialable right now, just go on and place an order, but airlines show surprisingly few interest in it. No orders placed and no conversations reported by aviation press, still - and we're yet 8 months away of september 24. In the first months of the war, there was a lot of buzz from our aviation bloggers and enthusiasts, like, wow wow wow, cold war is back, Tu-214 will get a new life! Nope. Airlines want MC-21 - thats sure, Aeroflot did yet a huge order announcement. Looks like they have some good perspective of mantaining for years the shiny new Airbus\Boeing fleet they have purchased thru the last decade. No shortage expected in 2023-2028 at least. All the industrials say the deliveries of the MC-21-310 are starting in 2024, so, no gap expected for the main (narrowbody) fleet replenishment. In the same time, Tu-204 is a whole generation behind MC-21. Governmental tops owning the factory assembling Tu-204 also dont show much enthusiasm. A way trickier question is: what the new fleet of our widebodies will become?
@@a.l.g4017 Il-96 temporary and the new twin engine in co development with China, keep forgetting it's name, there is a modernised il-96m, Russia isn't too worries about quads and I personally prefer quads I love flying on the a340 can't wait to get on a 96 when I go to Cuba.
I dont know where umhabet informations from, but if u run a TU 154 or IL 62 u just call to Russia and ask the manufacturer for spare parts. These aircrafts are old, that’s true, but getting Parts is no problem….
Hello, Syrian here.
In Syria we have a similar issue, albiet not to the same extent. On multiple occasions I have boarded pretty old TU-134s. The experience of flying an old, practically extinct jet is pretty cool to me, even with the knowledge that they are pretty unsafe.
Edit: for those interested, the aircraft reg is YK-AYF
how does it compare to flying a modern jet?
@@cobyexplanes For starters, it seems that the airplane is way more noisy than newer jets. The seats visually look like they have seen better days, and probably weren't revamped in a long time. The flight is less comfortable, especially when landing, but all in all it is still more exciting than a 320 or 737 trip if you are an aircraft enthusiast, otherwise it would just be a less comfortable flight for the normal person.
Definitely a museum piece, but I do have to admit I think few planes have ever looked so classically beautiful as the Tu-134. The only comparable sense of style, I'd say, is with the IL-62.
@@lmlmd2714 Truely.
Unfortunately, the remaining Syria Air TU-134 in service I mentioned will soon be retired, probably before my next trip
@@breadthatsred5815 Your English is impeccable. I take it that you went to school elsewhere? Is Syria settling down and safe now?
flew Air Koryo TU 204 in 2016. The flight and service was much better than expected. Landing in Pyongyang was weird, as there was no traffic, we went from cruising altitude to landing in 5 mins
Which is why it confuses me, why would they bother with having a national airline when Chinese airlines could service the route anyway? The vast majority of tourists are from China with westerners making up a fraction of that. In addition to the fact that tourism makes up a relatively small percentage of their gdp it's hardly as if the population can afford to travel anyway.
@@callanharvey2293 It would be pretty bad PR if your country didn't have a flag carrier. Also the North Korean government has a lot more control over Air Koryo than Chinese airlines. If for example the government wants to prop up (domestic) tourism in Chongjin, they will maintain Pyongyang-Chongjin flights even if it is not economical or profitable. Chinese airlines won't do that for you. Also if an earthquake or something strikes somewhere and food, tents, doctors, KPA rescue units need to be moved, and the air force is stretched too tight, then Air Koryo's fleet could step in to help with logistics. If you ask China for help, then to help or not would be at the descretion of the Chinese government, and even if help is provided that is an IOU that you need to repay later, which is a liability you'd rather not have.
@@real_dddf yeah I suppose it would look bad but by the same token north Korea could have 1 plane and manipulate it to look like an entire fleet, the people wouldn't know any better and those who do know wouldn't dare say anything. I think aswell with China they have the luxury of such a high population and such close proximity to Pyongyang that the cost of flights could increase and those who can afford to pay will inevitably pay. North Korea get income from tourism and china airways doesn't have to worry about any fees associated with landing in the capitol.
@@real_dddf can N Korea have worse PR than they have now? I don’t think that having a national airline would cause anyone to say:” wow look at N Korea modernize their ways.”
So you’re claiming a rate of descent of ~7000 ft/min.
HIGHLY doubt you experienced that
I'm far less concerned with the safety aspect of flying Air Koryo than I am about flying to/from the DPRK. The latter is far more dangerous as far as I'm concerned. The state itself has claimed more lives (even Western lives) than this airline has since the 80s.
-I am convinced that people go there because of the danger. The same sort of adrenalin junkie is the person who buys an old Porsche 930 or an original Dodge Viper, both of which are "pet cobras". That is, they are possessions that WANT to kill you. Both those cars are fucking dangerous and so is North Korea!
The ability to own these "animals" and stay alive apparently appeals to some people, and I think this explains DPRK tourism.
I was thinking the same.
Especially if also taken into count the hell you could get if something goes wrong outside the plane (which is much more likely).
It could be years of suffering in a filthy prison with starvation and torture (that will likely end up with death - or life long injuries, if ever released)
That would be worse than any plane crash, could ever be.
@SpaceAce100 Apparently, if you photograph a statue of "Great Leader" or "Dear Leader" from the wrong angle you will be escorted OUT of North Korea! WHAT? I can understand how they venerate their previous leaders, but making the mistake of taking a picture from the wrong angle? Pyongyang is FULL of interesting architecture, and if this country ever opens up then the capital city will be a photographers bonanza!
I highly doubt that more westerners have died in north korea than in plane crashes
@@massimodegrazia2192 that's nice but I distinctly compared the DPRK vs Air Koryo ("this airline"), not all plane crashes.
I flew a domestic route within North Korea aboard Air Koryo (Pyongyang - Orang) back in 2017. First and only commercial flight I've ever been on with a clearly labelled escape rope at one of the emergency exits.
@David Dunn It was part of a Young Pioneers tour which began in Pyongyang and then moved to the more rural north-eastern regions (Chongjin and Rason were the main cities) before crossing the Chinese land border to finish. Definitely an infrequent/semi-rare route but not unheard of for foreign tourists.
Escape rope??? I've never seen one on a commercial airplane. Or a private one for that matter. Must be a DPRK invention.
Apparently there are escape ropes in the flight decks of some jetliners but I don’t know any that have them in pax areas though.
Some modern western cargo planes have escape ropes.
@@davidkavanagh189 cargo, not passenger.
As somebody from tiny soviet town my first flying experiences were on grass field airport with an old soviet Antonov An-2 biplanes. Even though I prayed often for my life I didn't realize how cool it all was back then. I really miss flying different airplanes.
The Tupolev 204 is not so bad after all. The EU unbanned Air koryo flight to the EU only for flights operated with the tu 204.
Why don’t they fly to Europe then?
@@EKC2024 because only communists countries like them and NK doesn’t fly to Europe and Russia is banned from doing so. Also the age of the aircraft means that it won’t pass European airworthiness flying certifications.
@@EKC2024 cause only embassy staffs and government officials are allowed to go abroad? Some exceptions are also made for North Korean students that could also go abroad for an education mostly to ex-soviet aligned countries or neutral countries like Russia, China or Switzerland, Kim Jong Un himself spent his early childhood in Switzerland.
@@EKC2024 the Tu 204 is comparablw to the 757 for size and range. It's insufficient to fly from Korea to Europe
@@lorenzoademollo2678 a stop-over in Russia?
Delta’s 757s are so immaculate and smooth, with their fully upgraded/renovated cabins it feels like a brand new jet. I’m sad that they will have to be phased out in time
The 757is a great aircraft and generously overpowered. The only criticism I would level is that its quite a large aircraft to be single isle. I can contest to this when disembarking a Friday night flight into Heathrow.
They fill a unique niche in being perfect for long range small capacity economical point to point routes avoiding main hubs. This is becoming more popular to the point there was rumours of putting the 757 back in production. My personal favourite due to it's steep take off angle and climb rate. Like a homesick angel!
I've always hated the 757. It was a narrow body trying to do a widebody job. The business class on a 757 was always horrible
I flew on a iceland air 757 with a malaise brown plastic cabin a few years back. i thought the lights were dimmed but that's just how bright they were. still alive so it flew ok i guess.
I have flown on the 757 more times than I can count and it’s a rocket engine with wings
Thanks! I have noted your review. I'll start right now to make this airline better.
😭
From 1991 they flew charters to Nagoya, Japan for several years.
The pilots were not proficient in English, and air traffic control was confused.
They were instructed to wait until 05:30 (several minutes), followed by 30 minutes of silence, and on one day they took off without clearance.
The equipment was also tattered and had various troubles such as the transmitter stack.
I've been following Air Koryo for a number of years. Their legacy fleet is not used much these days. Most flights are conducted with the newer Tu-204 and An-148. The older jets probably fly a couple times a month if that, for domestic charters and the occasional scheduled flight to Vladivostok, Russia if a newer aircraft is unavailable. China won't allow the legacy fleet in their airspace since 2016 or so. The limited destinations Air Koryo serves means that all of their scheduled flights can be conducted by the 4 newest aircraft that they have on hand. They'd probably expand a bit if they could get more planes but are doing okay for now
Those old school Soviet jets are tbh probably much safer then the 737 max
They're not. The 737 max is much safer even with the old mcas system.
Alaska Airlines would STRONGLY disagree
I flew three round-trip Air Koryo flights from Beijing to the DPRK in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Each time I flew on an IL-62 with four tail-mounted engines. These were the scariest flight experiences in my life. We boarded the plane from stairs up from the tarmac in a somewhat unused part of the Beijing airport. As I climbed the stairs, I looked down at the tires and could see severe wear on the treads -- the threads were literally showing through. This gave me a lot of pause as I considered that Air Koryo relies on Russian parts and probably Russian technicians for service, and that these were likely in short supply since DPRK relations with Russia were shaky at that time. We seemed to careen down the runway on takeoff and landing, veering from side to side in a way that I hadn't experienced before in a plane. Once in the air, though, it was pretty smooth.
According to Wikipedia, Air Korya had only one crash in 1983, when 26 people died. Moreover, the plane was produced in 1981 and crashed into a mountain in bad weather conditions.
And Kim Jong Un doesn't have a butthole because he has no need for one (I'm not mocking you, just the party line).
Old is generally not a problem with well maintained aircraft. New or relatively new is not a substitute for good maintenance. We have DC 3s that are still in service.
Most DC-3 don’t go thru pressurization cycles.
And you got the fact that getting parts for these old Soviet aircraft is like finding a needle In a haystack
@@aregularperson7573 They can diassemble some aircraft for spare parts but I don't know how many they afford and that is not a sustainable way to work on long term
Im certainly not an expert, just an enthusiast, but I’m sure they could at least find spare parts for their Tu-204 and 154s; the 204s are still in production and the 154s only left production ten years ago, after nearly 1,000 were built 🤷♂️
There are still 4 unfinished Tu-154M airframes.
sanctions
They can disassemble some aircraft for spare parts but that is not a sustainable long term method for getting spare parts.
Main issue for Air Koryo isn’t where to get new aircraft, it’s the fact that UN sanctions ban the sale of all aircraft to North Korea (though not aircraft parts, which is how they keep their current fleet running).
Perhaps the best way to predict the modernisation program is to look at the model they had before the borders closed- newer Tu-204/214s on international routes, An-148s on short haul international and some domestic routes, easy to maintain An-24s on domestic routes, and the much older soviet fleet propping up the schedule with occasional charter work.
Problem now with the war in Ukraine is the lack of support for the An-148s. This means all international routes now have to be flown by the 204s, with much older aircraft (Tu-134s, Il-18) having to be used domestically.
Personally think that after the borders re-open, North Korea will have to rely more on Chinese and Russian airlines for international travel.
Do you think the light western aircraft (P-750s etc) acquired by North Korea might have a future with Air Koryo?
An-148/158 was more russian then ukrainian due to % of equipment, so I consider this project closed for now. Hope when war will be finished and Antonov become part of UAC, we'll see new An-s, but now "antonov" almost dead.
Les vieux avions soviétiques sont de très bonne fiabilité donc bien plus sur que les avions occidentaux qui seraient déjà hors service car victimes de l'obsolescence programmé.
5:50 to 5:56 has to be the coolest OG airplane gimmick I’ve seen
Reverse thrust before touchdown + aerodynamic braking, what’s not to love!
@@luiskp7173 true!
In my opinion, rhe Comac Programm will probably be the number one flare of hope for Air Koryo to upgrade their fleet
Even with domestic engines, the COMAC designs will still have a lot of western components. They are intended to be globally competitive, not just sanctions-busters. The Chinese part count will def increase over time as their domestic industries get more civil aerospace exposure and experience, but I don't think they envisage a 100% domestically built aircraft - no more than Boeing or Airbus do.
Given Russia is doing precisely the opposite and going all-in on sanctions-proofing, all else be damned, I think they'll wind up going for more TU-204/TU-214s when they can. Russia has put in huge domestic orders, but they all desperately need friends and currency, so slotting in 2 production slots a year for the TU-204/214 and say 3 a year for the IL-114 turboprops, would make sense. AK's fleet is only small (~20 planes total, including the newer ones), so even that small amount should easily let them refresh within a few years.
@@lmlmd2714 COMAC is designed to be competitive with western components for now. Indeed, the C919 is literally buying everything abroad and piecing it together at home, but the end goal is to stimulate domestic suppliers for each component and ultimately make it as made in China (or non-hostile countries) as possible, and become a sanctions buster. It is just that at this stage COMAC would not survive if busting sanctions was the first priority.
Actually, I'd say that Air Koryo could buy Chinese military planes like the Y-20 and convert them for passenger use. It already operates Il-76s so I don't see why it won't be feasible. Military planes aren't good planes (fuel efficiency and comfort wise), but they are reliable and safe enough, and have the benefit of being 100% domestic and hence can be freely exported.
@@real_dddf no way they can get Y-20. the Chinese just got the Y20 working, not enough for selling for sure.
@@ddjohnson9717 yeah, forgot about that aspect. the PLAAF obviously gets first dibs.
Meanwhile, North Korean SkyTrax ranks Air Koryo as five stars and everyone else as one star.
Perfectly balanced.
Planes that have flown that much time without technical problems and an airline with no fatalities since (sorta) 1980, I'll board anytime!!
That is very much not a good mentality for planes.
One of the biggest concerns for aircraft are pressurization cycles.
With an improperly maintained plane, with a missed crack in the fuselage, it's possible that the plane could rip apart during the pressurization.
Edit: found the one I was thinking about
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243
Hi Coby. I flew from Beijing to Pyongyang back in 2014 at the beginning of my 10 day tour. It was a Tupplov air raft and to be honest it was a really good flight and the aircraft appeared in nice condition. I was aware of Air Koryo,s 1 star rating before I went, but that didn’t bother me. In fact the worst thing about the flight was the awful burger in a bun thing they served. The return flight with them was also great.
I watched a 67 year old Boeing KC135 tanker on Flight Radar24 flying around the Black Sea, so yes age is not an indicator of ability to do its job! Great video by the way.
With proper maintenance, quality spare parts and upgrades it's not a big deal. But once those parts and maintenance are an issue it's a big danger.
I have heard that the KC-135's still flying usually have only about 12,000-15,000 hours on the clock, which makes them relatively new. They have been re-engined with high-bypass turbofan engines.
i saw a halifax bomber from ww2/
As an incurable Avgeek, I was part of an Aviation Tour in May, 2013 and privileged to experience all aircraft types with the exception of the AN-2, the IL-14, the helicopters and the shorter version, the TU-204-300. A few of my video footages have been shared in this video with the source of JUST PLANES and can be seen in full length in my video channel. I would say, it is safe to fly these aircraft, as safe travel and the image of Air Koryo matters most to the North Korean Government. The planes are maintained well and other aircraft seem to be used as parts sponsors. On my trip, all 12 flights were absolutely on-time, if not too say, even early, however I can only speak for myself. Last but not least, I have my fair share of doubts about SKYTRAX ratings.
What about the Xian MA60? (and it's variants). Perfectly fine regional aircraft which already have been delivered to neighbors of China like Laos. I am not sure which routes Air Koryo flies, but it's range is sufficient for flying to Beijing.
Even though this wasn't aircraft fault directly, but merpati Nusantara flight 8968 gave the plane a bad rep in much of the world. Don't know if Kim-who-just-lost-weight-the-third would care or not.
: PW127
There’s also the COMAC C919 assuming that it receives the necessary approvals to operate.
Those have Pratt & Whitney engines.
@@DavidCiani Yes that is true. And western avionics it seems too. Maybe those can be swapped out for locally produced engines and avionics?
Flew three times with Air Koryo about a decade ago, twice with a Ilyushin Il-62M, and once with the much more modern Tupolev Tu-204 (which actually are allowed to fly to Europe, and have done so a few times). I had plans for another trip in 2015 for the 60th anniversary of Air Koryo, which not only would have included flights in and out of the country with the Ilyushin, but also several domestic flights with much older planes, but that whole trip got cancelled when North Korea closed its border entirely because of the Ebola outbreak back then. But honestly, I never been concerned with the safety of those planes. Flying in general is so extremely safe, and even if these don't meet the highest international standards, would they be more dangerous than, say, driving a car or a bike? It's not like those Ilyushins are rickety contraptions, they're just old and even seem quite well kept. And on those Ilyushins, there's always a couple of mechanics on board as apparently in China they don't know how to service these planes anymore.
Flying with Air Koryo is also quite a different experience than with most others. I mean, no safety instructions, although on the Tupolev you'll be wished a safe flight on behalf of the Great (and very dead) Leader Kim Il-Sung. On inbound flights from China you might get a decent meal, on outbound flights usually their infamous "hamburger". And the surprisingly decent Ryongsong beer. You want something to read? You can get a North Korean newspaper or magazine in a variety of languages...
But what stood out most to me was the sound of those Ilyushins....so loud, so high pitched. Unlike any other plane I've ever been on. For a little taste of that: ruclips.net/video/AZkfctKLVRY/видео.html
Illyushin 62 are murder machines. Source: Am Polak in Poland in the 80s.
They can't buy the numerous used aircraft on the market? I'm sure there's a way to funnel them through a neutral country.
Who tf is neutral to North Korea?
@@nikobelic4251 China is Kim's bestie
@@nikobelic4251 probably some countries in Africa
they cant get parts or maintenance support
@@YHDiamond and how will they continuously fly planes and parts from someplace in Africa to North Korea without flying over countries that don’t want North Korean planes over their airspace?
Also, whoever does do this will probably no longer be able to buy Airbus Boeing Embraer or other manufacturers aircraft and parts. It’s economical suicide.
Most Dangerous Airline exist.
Aerosucre: Allow me to introduce myself.
Lmao
I was thinking that or Aeroflot! 🤣🤣
@@benhart16 aeroflot is safe mate
@@ben3359 That's some high quality Russian propaganda! 🤣 Check back next year when the fleet is running all counterfeit parts on their jets.
@@benhart16 okay but prior to this war/conflict Aeroflot has been very safe
A great presentation, thank you. But between the brand new flawed Maxes and the ancient Iljusins and Tupolevs, we can only toss the dice...
Thanks for the tutorial! I'll try this out later!
When you ever you feel useless, just remember North Korea has airlines
I flew Air Koryo in 2013, Beijing-Pyongyang-Beijing, on a TU-204. While I didn't have any safety concerns, as the TU-204 was still fairly new at the time I flew and is considerably more modern than most of their fleet, I didn't have high expectations for the flight. The check-in didn't open on time in Beijing and when it did, we were tucked away in a remote corner of the old terminal. I'm not sure if the people checking us in were Air Koryo staff or a Chinese handling agent, but they wore a very basic uniform and little Kim badges. There were a lot of generals around, checking in huge amounts of boxes of God-Knows-What, I found it funny they used iPhones.
At the gate, we were next to a Korean Air flight to ICN, I somewhat expected some of the Koreans to chat, but I saw no mingling. We boarded pretty much on time and it was fairly normal. As we boarded, North Korean music played through the cabin. While the seats were pretty comfortable, there were obviously no modern features like USB charging or personal TV screens. What was quite odd was that there was a large gap between us tourists (about 30 in total) and the generals who all sat several rows behind us (one or two of whom smoked during the flight), in a curtained-off rear cabin. We had to pass by these men to get to the toilet. There were also 3 or 4 empty rows between foreigners and Koreans on our flight. We got given food and a drink before we even left the gate, which was very odd, and then no service for the rest of the flight.
As we pushed back the safety video played. It looked very dated, like a corporate promotion video from the early 1980s. We taxied for ages and then throttled up to take off, only for the plane to make it about halfway down the runway and then slowed down and exited pretty promptly. We went back to the gate, and an hour later, after some engineers came and inspected the plane and a massive storm cloud passed, we taxied to another runway, seemingly where no other traffic was departing from, and we departed straight out.
The inflight entertainment was a mix of Korean war movies and outright anti-western propaganda. You had no choice but to listen, as the movie blared out through the whole cabin, There was also a Korean newspaper to read, but no inflight magazine. About half way into the flight we got given landing papers for the DPRK and shortly after passing over North Korean airspace, an announcement came from the cockpit thanking the eternal guidance of Kim Il Sung to get us there. No further announcements were made until landing.
Upon landing, it was clear half the Air Koryo fleet hadn't moved for some time as the other aircraft seemed to be missing engines and one case, nosegear. Another was missing a tail. We taxied for a while and came to an abrupt halt on what I assume was a stand. The army welcomed the planed and we walked over to the (now demolished) terminal. The new terminal was only just starting to be built then. Immigration and customs were surprisingly easy and friendly and we were out of the airport about 90 minutes after landing. For some inexplicable reason, baggage handling was incredibly slow. It looked like there were plenty of people around the airport.
On the way back we got to the airport right as check-in was closing. There really wasn't much to see or do in Pyongyang Airport. A tiny coffee shop, a shop that sold some expensive duty-free and souvenirs and an outdoor area where you could see the planes, although most were quite far away from the terminal. We were allowed to take photos to our heart's content, and the soldiers practically encouraged it. Our aircraft was the same as the one we took to Pyongyang a week earlier, although this time it was parked on a very remote stane and we had to take a surprisingly modern airside bus to it. The return flight was a carbon copy of the first, with the same music playing on boarding, and the same movies playing in the same order, only this time we got food in the air (exactly the same mystery meat burger, which was cold) and they gave us a copy of a North Korean newspaper, in English. I did notice some people folding the paper in half, which I thought wasn't allowed as it had an image of the leader on the front page, but perhaps as they were leaving North Korea they didn't care. We had exactly the same crew as the previous flight and landed at the exact same gate in Beijing.
All in all, a very interesting experience, although I'm in no rush to go back to North Korea, the airline and TU-204 were both perfectly pleasant, if not a little strange, to fly with.
Glad to hear someone being so positive about Russian aircraft manufacturing perspectives - even I wasn't that optimistic.
Russia has invaded Ukraine. Fork RUSSIA
This is supposed to be positive? Really..?
@@PhonoDirect yes! He implies that Russia can and will build aircrafts in age when everyone is trying to point out that Russia will soon produce nothing.
@@PhonoDirect then go away
yeah, in my knowledge Russian aviation is mature... to the point of stagnation. Russian engines are good, and are still being studied and learned from by China, but I feel it is out of line with GE or RR engines at this point. Lots of development is done through "archeology"; that is, going through old Soviet documents to re-learn how to build stuff. It's like an athlete after a crippling injury (that injury happened in 1991); you need to catch up to your former self before you can go on to create more breakthroughs. But with the state of Russia's economy, there isn't much hope into pushing the aviation industry back to its former glory.
Dangerous airline? With how many crashes over the years? I flew Air Koryo around 8 years ago. DPRK deserves criticism for a lot of things, not for an airline with 0 fatalities.
+100 social credit
(Seriously though, you’ve got a point)
i would fly with an airline which has a track record of not a single accident since last 40 years rather than reputable airlines with track records of accidents.
Who else noticed the mid -air reverse thrust at 5:59
Flying this airline is the extreme sport of plane spotters.
If Air Koryo is the only airline with a 1 star rating, then the people at Skytrax haven't flown RYANAIR yet! 😂
Lol at the jet that hit the reverse thrust before even touching down lol far put
I flew Air Koryo to DPRK in 2007 on an Ilyushin-62 very smooth ride Beijing to Pyongyang. Excellent flight service, very satisfying and tasty meal in flight. Honestly it was a first rate flying experience.
I only just noticed that Aeroflot still has the hammer and sickle in their logo!
Great video! Rarely does anyone speak about North Korea unless they are doing something, we in the west, find reprehensible. Great job of being super informative!
It's in my bucket list to fly Air Koryo. I hope to do it someday. Not easy getting a visa.
Nice video, but I just want to point out the Skytrax isn't taken seriously within the industry.
Yeah, I did the NK trip. flew in a Tupolov. It felt like I was flying on a plane from the 80's with the little ash tray in the arm rest, and the terrible rough fabric on the seat. and of course there was a lot of wear and tear on the carpet runner on the floor. But seemed OK. Wasn't a long flight from Beijing to Pyongyang.
From what I saw, Air Koryo seems better than some airlines.
I flew Air Koryo. They get the 1 star for propaganda reasons. Yes the machines are old. But service and leg space was great.
@@SF-eo6xf I believe you for sure. Despite the old planes, I’m sure the service was very good.
5:50
That mid air reverser deployment LOL
Man, it would be cool if production engines had those nifty LEDs in them. You could make them red for faster speed, blue for better cooling, or green for "eco mode". 🙃
RGB for gaming mode.
Just canceled my flight on Air Koryo. Thanks to this channel.
Plot twist: Air Koreo buys its planes from eBay
Air Koryo has had way less incidents than most Western Airlines. I’d feel safe on Air Koryo over any other airline
Hell there are still some 737 Jurassics flying around in Canada, and it seems like with good maintenance an aircraft can fly basically forever.
The main Tu-204-300s used on international routes are relatively new, from the 2000s. The EU did ban the airline from 2008 due to poor transparency with regards to maintenance, but the ban was lifted again in 2010. The problem now is sanctions, which don't allow the airline to fly to Europe.
Well-presented.
I'm thinking there are two more solutions. 1. Move Air Koryo completely out of North Korea. Or 2. Change North Korea. Not seeing either happening anytime soon, least of all voluntarily. :)
or have Aeroflot operate their flights on a codeshare
Surely spare parts for Soviet era planes can be fabricated by any good blacksmith?
I’m did once fly from Beijing to Pyongyang DPRK on a rainy day in 1989 on a Koryo Airlines jet. It was a petrifying experience but not for the reason you might imagine. The flight was fine and we all landed safely onto the wet runway but the aircraft for some reason stopped taxiing well short of the terminal building and the passengers were asked to disembark. 150 or so North Koreans descended the stairs in heavy rain to find the buses hadn’t arrived so decided to stand under the wings for shelter. 100% of the Koreans then decided to light up their cigarettes all at the same time after the long flight oblivious to the fact that they were standing under 2 huge fuel tanks!! I’ve never moved so fast.
cool story bro
most people don't realize that we still have a lot of 50s and 60s cessna and beech around. It's all about the maintainance!
The simpler, more cost effective option at the moment is to develop a stronger maintenance program. Aircraft are generally maintained well enough that age really has little to no bearing on safety.
Really, and parts, he did say so, so, so many Legacy aircraft parts, are simply Unavailable, When one of your turbine blades goes, that's a pretty tough part to replace, Even in America, due to the materials to make them
With the Antonov situation, it also doesn’t help that Ukraine doesn’t even recognize the DPRK as a legitimate government of the Korean Penninsula
I died when I saw that jet reverse thrust before touch down @5.52 lol
You didn't know they could do that? DC-8 could do that too.
REV THR before landing = lol mixed with Dafuq?? Same clip at @10:30 and way funnier when you know it’s coming haha
Just bc you can doesn’t mean you should. I’ve never flown that type or know the situation/procedure there. Still wild
Option four: the country could stop acting like a gangster child and join the civilized world. Least likely.
The fact you said old and followed it up with “built in the 90s” made me cry.
I flew with koryo from Beijing to Pyongyang. They gave us two meals for dinner and lots of beer. The planes were a bit sketchy
Why
Hey Cobe, maybe they should rename the North Korean Airline, Air Chance! LOL
option 4: air koryo can build paper planes and fly those instead
“cantankerous” very classy choice of words my friend
haha thanks ◡̈
4:18 Wrong, the C919 has 800+ orders from 7 airlines and 21 leasing companies.
Ryanair: Hold my beer 🍺
Cool Video
I would love to fly Air Koryo. The quirkier the airline, the better, PLUS flying old Soviet airliners !!!!
I'm tired of creators telling me to hit the bell and subscribe; just put your videos out man and focus on creating good content. If you do that, then naturally people will subscribe. But damn just stop with the patronizing.
I think they have a few TU 204s which is similar to the 757
Russia still has a lot of Tu-154s abandoned. They are not so fuel efficient, so they are not used. Still they are still in good shape. North Korea could buy the most fresh ones.
I flew Air Koryo. It was quiet nice and we had heaps of space.
The dopamine hits real hard when I hear Coby say “let me explain” 😂
Great vid! I’m obsessed with North Korean documentaries
Your channel is a trouvaille! I am a beginner economist, and for me it is very valuable to know more about the state difference industries are in. So I encourage you to make more videos uncovering and explaining the nuances of the industry, thank you very very much! :)
Totally want to fly Air Koryo one day.
amazing video!
Thanks!
Me: this guy can't spell.
Me a minute in: Ahh, more aviation content. Subscribed.
Everyone watching this, subscribe! This channel is pure gold, and I’m not even an aviation expert
Clearly not
thanks for the support ◡̈
COMAC actually has an Indonesian customer, and the CF34-10A that powers it, is super reliable.
TransNusa the first Indonesian airline using Chinese made planes, Comac ARJ21
I'm Coby Trains, Choo Choo
Oh boy,I read that title and I’m like I gotta hear this😂 *grabs chips
hope it lived up to the expectations!
I flew many times these planes in Ukraine and Russia (Tu-134, Tu-154, Yak-40, Yak-42, An-2, An-24, An-148, L-410 - the last one was made in Czech Republic). It was a phantasmagoric experience when during descend in Yak-42 clouds of vapour started blowing out from the sealing of the cabin 😅 In general, actually interesting, but I wouldn't say "nice experience". No wish to repeat it. It is probably better to try vintage airplanes in EU or US.
I recommend an MD 1011 or a Trijet, if you can get your ass on one still (or are working for FedEx)
@@the_kombinator Yak-40, Yak-42 and Tu-154 are actually trijet. I'l better get my ass into the Tante Ju (tri-radial motor) somewhere in Europe :)
@@oleksandrsemenov9825 You've been presented with lucky chance to get rid of "sovok" legacy. Enjoy.
@@borisafanasiev2365 It's true (luck, chance), but it was always dream to get disconnected from "sovok", "post-sovok" and everything connected with the past including native languages :) Dreams tend to come true sometimes, with some effort :)
“Air koyrio flies some of the oldest planes on earth” Buffalo Joe: Hold my beer.
I'm positive Kim, at least, flies on a nice private jet. I've flown on an old Avro RJ85 before. That was cool.
Armoured Trains for days
Kim does not fly
Yes, Kim doesn't fly. He used Train.
Still remember flying on an Air Koryo IL62 to Zurich back when they flew there. Here’s some context. It was December 21, I was in Beijing on business and needed to get home for Christmas. My flight on United was canceled. The next available flight direct to SFO (where me and my entire family were gonna meet at my sisters house) was on Christmas Day. I was so bummed until I looked over at the Air Koryo check-in counter. Saw a flight to Pyongyang on a TU154, I asked the check in agent about a flight to Zurich via Pyongyang. To my luck there was a flight to Zurich that would leave me with a 2 hour stop in Pyongyang, if PERFECT! Instantly booked my flight on Swiss from ZUR to SFO. Got to fly on a TU154 and IL62! Even treated myself to seat 1A on both AK flights and even the Swiss flight thanks to my secret stash of Star Alliance points.
Passport:
Air Koryo is Singapore Airlines compared to ANY airline from my Country, Venezuela 🇻🇪.
I worked some time in the maintenance hangar for LASER airlines (the worstest of the worst) and the quantity of unsafe operations and procedure that I've saw there, literally made me resign because I knew that I will see a deadly accident (both in the hangar and with the passenger filled "wrecks"-airplanes-) really soon.
Venezuela haves the oldest planes in the world in operations. Laser and Aserca still have DC-9s flying and you can have and idea on how good is the ingenieering those planes, that they still fly without having any good maintenance since the last 30 years.
As Incredible as this might sound, 40 years ago, VIASA the main Venezuelan airline was considered among the 3 best airlines in the world competing against Swissair and Pan Am for a long period of time.
The Social-Comunism from the late 90s up to this day destroyed the whole country included the airline business.
I have flown Air Koryo in its newest Ilyushin Il-62M (Pyongyang-Bejing) and perception as passenger was way better than many other carriers I have tried.
I heard Yodok camp 15 isn’t that bad either.
@@seka1986 it was in 2018, too late to see the camp operating
As a retired airline pilot (and an aircraft mechanic before that) I wouldn’t walk under one of their jets let alone get IN one.
Irkut mc 21-300 for medium range and sukhoi ssj 100 and il 114 for short range flights !!!
I’d fly Air Koryo, not sure if they’d let me aboard tho :(
No! No sir I would not get one. Fantastic video thanks
I'd hang on to my B757's too. Pound for pound one of the best performance airliners ever developed.
Comac also has a Widebody C929 coming in a few years. Great video, though some slight statistical errors.
We all know Air Koryo is the best airline with the best (Russian) planes in the world!✈️
That sponsor transition was smooooooth
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The will be able to get the TU-214's but not the newer jets. A pretty good plane albeit a bit dated.
I'd imagine any new TU-214s will also be destined to russian airlines - they need every plane they can get their hands on
@@cobyexplanes Tu-214's are avaialable right now, just go on and place an order, but airlines show surprisingly few interest in it. No orders placed and no conversations reported by aviation press, still - and we're yet 8 months away of september 24. In the first months of the war, there was a lot of buzz from our aviation bloggers and enthusiasts, like, wow wow wow, cold war is back, Tu-214 will get a new life! Nope. Airlines want MC-21 - thats sure, Aeroflot did yet a huge order announcement. Looks like they have some good perspective of mantaining for years the shiny new Airbus\Boeing fleet they have purchased thru the last decade. No shortage expected in 2023-2028 at least. All the industrials say the deliveries of the MC-21-310 are starting in 2024, so, no gap expected for the main (narrowbody) fleet replenishment. In the same time, Tu-204 is a whole generation behind MC-21. Governmental tops owning the factory assembling Tu-204 also dont show much enthusiasm. A way trickier question is: what the new fleet of our widebodies will become?
@@cobyexplanes Russia only ordered a handful of 214's, they mainly want the new stuff so the 214's can easily be ready 2025-2028
@@a.l.g4017 Il-96 temporary and the new twin engine in co development with China, keep forgetting it's name, there is a modernised il-96m, Russia isn't too worries about quads and I personally prefer quads I love flying on the a340 can't wait to get on a 96 when I go to Cuba.
I dont know where umhabet informations from, but if u run a TU 154 or IL 62 u just call to Russia and ask the manufacturer for spare parts. These aircrafts are old, that’s true, but getting Parts is no problem….
The C919 has a few veeeeeery smaaaaaaaallll optical similarities with the 787 xD
hmmm almost like the reverse engineered it lol
Just stop that please, C919 is well known to be co-developed with C-Series(A220)
@@umi3017 Co-Developed ummmm no. It runs a LEAP engine
as much as all planes and cars look similar