Shanghai-based Spring Airlines Co Ltd is about to become the first budget carrier to launch flights in the DPRK, as it has applied to China's aviation authorities to fly between Shanghai and Pyongyang weekly, an official source said.

In a notice posted Friday on its website, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Spring Airlines applied to launch four direct flights per week from Shanghai to the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since February 2016.

If approved, it will be the third airline to operate flights in the DPRK, after the country's own Air Koryo and Beijing-based Air China. In addition, Spring Airlines will become the first cheap flight operator in the northern country.

"We expect the flights to meet the large demand for visiting Pyongyang," said Mao Yi, head of public relations at Spring Airlines.

But Mao refused to disclose the status of the application because it's not proper to do so as a listed company when the related application is still awaiting regulatory approval.