India and China resume direct air flights after five-year gap
Direct air travel between India and China has
officially resumed, signaling a significant step forward in the gradual
normalization of relations between the two Asian powers.
On Monday, IndiGo
flight 6E1703 from Kolkata landed in Guangzhou, carrying around 180 passengers
— the first direct commercial flight between the two nations since early 2020.
A return after five
years
Flights between India and China were suspended
in early 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic, and the suspension remained in place amid escalating
border tensions after a deadly clash in the Ladakh region.
The resumption follows years of quiet
diplomatic engagement and a series of confidence-building measures. In a
statement earlier this month, the Indian government said that restoring direct
connectivity would “facilitate people-to-people contact and support the gradual
normalization of bilateral exchanges.”
Signs of a thaw
The renewed air link is part of broader
efforts to ease strained relations. Last year, both sides reached a landmark
agreement on border patrols, aimed at reducing friction along the contested
Himalayan frontier.
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In August 2025, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years, meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Earlier that summer, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to New Delhi to discuss “de-escalation, delimitation, and boundary affairs.”
India also resumed issuing visas for Chinese
tourists in July, another signal of improving ties.
Symbolic first flight
At Kolkata Airport, the mood was celebratory
on Sunday evening as IndiGo staff lit traditional brass oil lamps to mark the
occasion.
“This is a very important day for the
India-China relationship,” said Qin Yong, a senior Chinese consular official
present at the airport.
Passengers welcomed the return of the route,
noting that travel times would now be drastically reduced. “Earlier, we had to
take two or three connecting flights — often via Singapore — to reach China,”
said Krishna Goyal, a business traveler heading to Guangzhou. “Direct flights
will make trade and business much easier.”
More flights on the
horizon
According to travel data provider OAG, India
and China operated roughly 2,600 scheduled flights in 2019 before the
suspension.
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Building on the momentum, China Eastern Airlines will launch a Shanghai–Delhi route starting November 9, with three weekly flights, according to a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in India.
A step toward normalization
While deep strategic differences remain, the
revival of direct flights reflects cautious optimism on both sides. Analysts
view this as a symbolic yet practical move — one that underscores a shared
interest in stabilizing ties, reviving trade, and strengthening regional
cooperation after years of strained relations.
As
passengers boarded IndiGo’s inaugural Kolkata–Guangzhou flight, the mood was
hopeful — a small but meaningful sign that dialogue and connectivity are once
again taking flight between Asia’s two largest nations.
Source:
AOL