Russian airline begins routing flights over North Korea, long avoided by others



News Russian airline begins routing flights over North Korea, long avoided by others S7 Airline’s flights between Vladivostok and Shanghai likely net the DPRK fees but raise safety, sanctions concerns Anton Sokolin \| Jifan Li November 19, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Image: Pexels Russia’s largest private airline has begun routing select flights through North Korean airspace, NK News analysis of flight-tracking data shows, likely netting Pyongyang overflight fees. A Boeing 737 (tail number RA-73668) operated by S7 Airlines first entered DPRK airspace on Nov. 12 on a flight from Vladivostok to Shanghai, according to Flightradar24, a shift from exclusively using Chinese airspace for the route. The jet crossed into North Korea from the northeast, flew in a straight line over the country’s interior then exited over the Yellow Sea en route to Shanghai. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

News

Russian airline begins routing flights over North Korea, long avoided by others

S7 Airline’s flights between Vladivostok and Shanghai likely net the DPRK fees but raise safety, sanctions concerns

Anton Sokolin | Jifan Li November 19, 2025

Russian airline begins routing flights over North Korea, long avoided by others

Russia’s largest private airline has begun routing select flights through North Korean airspace, NK News analysis of flight-tracking data shows, likely netting Pyongyang overflight fees.

A Boeing 737 (tail number RA-73668) operated by S7 Airlines first entered DPRK airspace on Nov. 12 on a flight from Vladivostok to Shanghai, according to Flightradar24, a shift from exclusively using Chinese airspace for the route.

The jet crossed into North Korea from the northeast, flew in a straight line over the country’s interior then exited over the Yellow Sea en route to Shanghai.

About the Authors

Anton Sokolin

Anton Sokolin is the data correspondent at NK News. He previously worked at Reuters, TASS and the Korea Trade Promotion Corporation (KOTRA).

View more articles by Anton Sokolin EMAIL Got a news tip?Let us know!

Jifan Li

Jifan Li is the China-North Korea Specialist Trainee at NK News. He has a master's in international relations from Johns Hopkins University and previously was a Korea Chair intern at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

View more articles by Jifan Li Got a news tip?Let us know!