Kim Jong Un's flight to Singapore: logistical challenges

Singapore is considered an ideal location to host the US-North Korea summit - Photo: Reuters

According to an announcement by US President Donald Trump, the upcoming US-North Korea summit will be held in Singapore on June 12th. One of the reasons given for choosing Singapore is that the Southeast Asian nation is within the flight range of North Korean aircraft.

However, experts believe this historic meeting will pose significant logistical challenges for the Pyongyang regime, including the Soviet-era plane carrying Kim Jong-un, his limousine, and the large security detail accompanying him, according to Reuters.

Since assuming leadership of North Korea in 2011, Kim Jong-un has made only one recent overseas trip by plane. That was a visit to Dalian, China, to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 7th and 8th. However, it's worth noting that this location is not too far from the Sino-North Korean border.

Kim Jong-un traveled by Ilyushin-62M presidential aircraft. Accompanying this aircraft was a transport plane, believed to be carrying Kim's limousine.

"It appears that Kim's trip to Dalian was a rehearsal (for his trip to Singapore)," said Andray Abrahamian, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, USA).

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un disembarks from an Illyushin-62M aircraft after arriving in Dalian, Liaoning province, northeastern China on May 7. Photo: Reuters

With a distance of approximately 4,700km from Sunan Airport in Pyongyang, Singapore is well within the range of the Il-62M. This narrow-body, four-engine aircraft, dating back to the Soviet era, was first introduced in the 1970s and has a maximum range of 10,000km.

However, the Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft cannot fly more than 3,000 km without stopping to refuel if carrying a large load of cargo.

Therefore, the aircraft was forced to stop in another country en route, instead of flying directly to Singapore with the Ilyushin-62M.

According to Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions, a company that operates passenger and cargo flights, the Il-76 aircraft – originally designed to transport heavy machinery to remote areas of the Soviet Union – is large enough to carry a school bus or two shipping containers.

However, this type of transport aircraft also has some safety issues. Last month, an Il-76 crashed in Algeria, killing 257 people, mostly military personnel.

Unlike his father, the late leader Kim Jong Il, who preferred traveling by train on foreign trips, Kim Jong Un has no aversion to traveling by plane.

However, traveling such a long distance would pose significant challenges to transporting communication and security equipment, along with a large support staff throughout the summit.

North Korean security personnel conduct disinfection and anti-eavesdropping measures ahead of the inter-Korean summit on April 27 - Photo: Reuters

Lee Yun Keok, a defector who previously worked for the North Korean government and now heads the North Korea Strategic Information Center in Seoul, said that Kim Jong-un would be accompanied by several dozen security personnel, along with anti-eavesdropping equipment, disinfection supplies, and other supplies.

Furthermore, the large amount of fuel required for travel between Pyongyang and Singapore also poses a significant challenge for North Korea. Each of Kim's planes would need approximately 50 tons of jet fuel for the journey.

According to Chinese customs data, China – the main supplier of fuel to North Korea – exported only 3 tons of jet fuel to North Korea last March. The figure for the two months prior was not released.

Experts believe that with limited imported fuel due to international sanctions, North Korea may have to use its existing fuel reserves, which are also used to fuel Pyongyang's missile program.