Air China is suspending flights between Beijing and the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
The suspension of service by the state-owned carrier will go into effect from Monday, according to Chinese state media.
A representative for Air China said the airline was temporarily suspending flights due to weak sales.
“We will schedule flights on this route based on passenger demand, ” the representative told CNN.
The suspension, however, comes amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea, which is developing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, is facing increased pressure from the Trump administration to curtail work on the programs.
Air China had been operating three round-trip flights a week between the two capital cities, according to its published timetable. But service had become sporadic in recent months.
The suspension threatens to sever a key link between the isolated nation and the outside world.
The U. S. and its allies have tried for years to squeeze the North Korean government’s supply of money and cut it off from the global banking system.
