Beijing Airport had been a spotting destination for many years, and there were several factors
I needed to consider before deciding on the perfect time to go. One day I came across an
article describing the concept of the “Golden Week” in China. I learned that in autumn there is
a week-long holiday where workers have time off and traditionally return to their hometowns
to visit family – a period that also affects international travelers. I realized this would be the
ideal time for my trip, as the Chinese staff stationed in North Korea would most likely travel
home as well, creating a rare opportunity to see some of the very few aircraft operated by the
North Korean airline.
I booked a return trip with KLM, since at the time China Southern was operating the Airbus
A380 from Amsterdam to Beijing – a type of aircraft I had not yet flown on. On the day of
departure at Copenhagen Airport, however, I was informed by a friendly staff member that,
due to fog in Amsterdam, my connecting flight had been canceled. I was rebooked onto Finnair
via Helsinki instead. It was not the outcome I had hoped for, but in the end the delay was only
about 20 minutes.
Finding a hotel near the airport was easy. I chose the Beijing Wanjia Business Hotel, which
offered check-in from 07:00 – perfect after an early arrival. The hotel was clean and pleasant,
and although the staff did not speak a word of English, they were skilled at using Google
Translate.
The language barrier was manageable, but the real challenge was the smog. When the wind
picked up, conditions were fine, but when it settled, a thick blanket of smog covered the city.
As a result, many of my photos have a dull gray background.
But back to my mission: spotting Air Koryo aircraft. At the old Beijing Airport, planes landed on
three runways simultaneously, which took some getting used to. On the first day I positioned
myself at runway 01R, but no North Korean planes appeared. After dinner I moved to 36R,
which had the busiest traffic. There I found a small designated park that offered good views of
both arrivals and departures. Within an hour, I was approached by a young man who spoke
perfect English. He politely asked me where I came from, which hotel I was staying at, how
long I would be in China, and why I was there. Once I had answered, he disappeared as
suddenly as he had arrived. This turned out to become a daily routine – each day a new
English-speaking visitor appeared and asked the exact same questions!
Despite this, I was positively surprised by the Chinese in general. The area I stayed in was
neat and orderly, and those who dared to start a conversation were eager to recommend
places I should visit as a tourist.
On days two and three, I finally saw a couple of Air Koryo aircraft, but they kept avoiding the
runway I had chosen. On day four, however, I got lucky. Despite the thick smog, a Tupolev
204 broke through the haze, and I captured my first photo. Less than an hour later, an
Antonov 148 appeared – my second and last sighting that day.
To illustrate how bad the smog could be, here is an example: the two photos below were taken
from the same spot, only 24 hours apart.
