China budget carrier Spring Airlines plans North Korea route

An employee of Spring Airlines stands at Hongqiao airport in Shanghai July 6, 2012. REUTERS/Aly Song

BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - China's Spring Airlines Co plans to fly to the North Korean capital Pyongyang next year, making it the third airline to run scheduled flights to the isolated country.

The budget carrier hopes to launch four fights a week from its hub, Shanghai's Pudong airport, in early February 2016, although the proposal is pending approval from both the North Korean authorities and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), a Spring Airlines spokesman said.