The first direct passenger flight in decades between Moscow and the North Korean capital Pyongyang is scheduled for today, TASS and Reuters reported, BTA reports.
A "Boeing 777-200ER" aircraft of the Russian airline Nordwind Airlines will take off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport at 7:00 p.m. local time, according to the schedule published on the airport's website. The flight will last just over eight hours.
The Russian civil aviation authority "Rosaviatsia" has issued permission for the airline to operate flights between Moscow and Pyongyang twice a week. The Ministry of Transport has said that initially there will be only one flight per month, in order to "build up stable demand".
According to Russian aviation blogs cited by Reuters, these will be the first regular flights between the two capitals since the mid-1990s.
In June, passenger rail transport between Moscow and Pyongyang was also resumed, with the journey taking about 10 days.
Tickets for flights between Moscow and Pyongyang start at 44,700 rubles (about $563), and seats on the first flight were sold out quickly, RIA reports.
Currently, the only direct air route between Russia and North Korea is that of the North Korean airline Air Koryo, which flies to Vladivostok three times a week.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and its Western allies accuse North Korea of supplying Russia artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles. Claims that both Moscow and Pyongyang deny.
According to data cited by Reuters, North Korea has deployed more than 10,000 troops to Russia to support its military campaign against Ukraine. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country was ready to "unconditional support" for Moscow's efforts to resolve the conflict.