Hat tip to a reader:
The Russian website Аргументы и факты reported that at a ceremony in the Russian city of Ulyanovsk on March 4th the Russian company Aviastar-CP handed over a new Tu-204-100B airplane to a delegation from Air Koryo. Also present was a team representing the “Ilyushin Finance Leasing Company” through which the plane was handed over to the Korean airline. The report relates that, “Late at night, the aircraft took off for the flight to Pyongyang from Ulyanovsk’s Vostochnyy Airport.” It also states that this is the second “new-generation” Russian aircraft delivered to the DPRK by Aviastar. It is expected to operate on routes between the DPRK and Russia and Southeast Asia as well as within the DPRK.
Here is the story in English via Google Translate.
Here is a photo of the first Air Koryo Tupolev that went into service on May 1, 2008.
More pictures of the new Tupolew can be found on Air Koryo’s facebook fansite:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Air-Koryo-Korean-Airways-joseonminhang-Kore-Hanggong/204108583978?ref=sgm#!/album.php?aid=146898&id=204108583978&ref=mf
Here’s a direct link to the photo-album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=146898&id=204108583978
I noticed in that PDF from GPI about the trade fair they mentioned Air Koryo’s “New” planes…….complete with pic……
So this ties in with that i guess………
The two Tu-204s are the planes that, as previously reported, have been exempted from the EU’s ban on Air Koryo. The Daily NK’s headline is misleading; I’m pretty sure that Air Koryo was banned from EU airspace before it bought the first Tu-204 , and I would guess that this is the first time that the ban has been reviewed since their arrival.
See also the Air Koryo Facebook group (yes there is one!) for stuff about this
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Air-Koryo-Korean-Airways-joseonminhang-Kore-Hanggong/204108583978?ref=ts