Under the change, Air Koryo's weekly flights between the capital cities of the two countries decreased from five (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) to three (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday).

Beijing Capital International Airport, a major stopover point for North Korean officials heading for international conferences and bilateral talks, effectively links the North with the outside world.

Air Koryo was expected to delay its shift to the winter timetable due to the detente on the Korean Peninsula and a subsequent increase in North-related aviation demand. But the airline changed to its winter flight schedule in the same period as previous years.

Air Koryo has typically operated five weekly flights on the Pyongyang-Beijing route from May to October and three weekly flights from November to April.

"Aviation demand for North Korea-bound flights has increased compared with last year. But there is definitely a decrease in the number of tourists in winter compared to summer," said an industry official in Beijing.

"There are also some dispersion effects in aviation demand, as a charter service has been launched between China's Dalian and Pyongyang in addition to the regular flights originating from Beijing, Shenyang and Shanghai," the official said. (Yonhap)