Missile launches from Pyongyang airport endanger aircraft and nearby residents | NK News
NK News Logo
September 16, 2026Sep 16, 2026

Weapon Directory

News

Missile launches from Pyongyang airport endanger aircraft and nearby residents

Debris on runways can cause significant plane damage, discouraging airlines from flying there in future

Debris from North Korean missile launches at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport pose risks to aircraft there, a retired pilot told NK News, and could increase airlines’ reluctance to fly there in the future.

North Korea conducted a missile test from the Sunan area on Wednesday, with a photo seen by NK News showing it experienced what one expert called “catastrophic failure” shortly after launch. It was the third missile test from the airport area in 2022, adding to three other launches from or near the runway in 2017.

Those tests endager users of the airport, retired Boeing 777 pilot