North Korean airline Air Koryo has been named the world’s worst for the fourth consecutive year in a row.

In a list compiled by UK-based aviation consultancy Skytrax, 600 carriers were rated on a number of factors, including aircraft efficiency, customer service and the quality of their in-flight meals.

Air Koryo not only came bottom of the overall rankings, but also suffered the ignominy of being the only airline to be awarded one star out of a possible five.

The carrier, which flies to 14 airports in six countries, was particularly penalised for the age of its planes, many of which date back to the 1960s.

The airline has not purchased new aircraft for over 20 years, despite attempts by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to reinvigorate its image. Given the age of the planes, many pilots are forced to fly without digital assistance.
...

The only air carrier with a one-star rating on global airline ranking site Skytrax has launched a new website in English, but good luck getting a ticket there.

North Korea’s official carrier, Air Koryo, now offers flights online from Pyongyang to Beijing and Shenyang in China and to Vladivostok in Russia, but a quick look at the site reveals three glaring issues.

1: Though the website lists fares and schedules, any attempt to actually purchase a trip turns up zero results.

2: Even If it did turn up results, the carrier does not accept credit cards, instead requiring passengers to arrange an international wire transfer.

3: Who, one wonders, is Air Koryo marketing to in this isolated state where most citizens are denied access to the Internet and do not have the privilege of leaving the country?
...

“Those who have been to North Korea know that booking a ticket with Air Koryo is the easiest part of such trip: Obtaining the DPRK visa is the real challenge. But even accredited diplomats and regular business travelers, who are welcome in Pyongyang and have open visas, will not find this new website particularly useful, because it is not accessible from South Korea,” he said. “It functions like a primitive database of flights but does not book anything, and nobody would feel safe to entrust his or her personal information to it.” ...