New Delhi: Direct flights between India and China have resumed after more than four years, marking a thaw in relations between the two neighbours.
“Direct flights between China and India are now a reality,” Yu Jing, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India posted on X on Sunday.
The first flight from Kolkata to Guangzhou took off during the day and operations in the Shanghai-New Delhi route will begin on November 9, with three flights every week.
Direct flights were first suspended between the two countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Galwan clash of 2020 further accentuated the situation and flight operations remained cancelled though trade continued between the two countries.
Bilateral trade between the two nations stood at USD 127.71 billion in 2024-25 but those directly involved in this had to take a circuitous route for business trips.
IndiGo had announced earlier this month that it would be among the first airlines to restart services between the two countries following the COVID-19 suspension. In its October 2 press release, the airline said it would start daily, nonstop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from October 26, 2025, using Airbus A320neo aircraft.
The airline also mentioned plans to expand the service by introducing direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou, subject to regulatory approvals. These routes, the airline said, will help rebuild trade and tourism ties between India and China.
On October 11, IndiGo officially confirmed that daily direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou would start from November 10, strengthening connectivity between the two countries.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also confirmed resumption of direct services earlier this month. In October 2024, both sides reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), seen as a key step in easing tensions.
The spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy also reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to development and improving ties, calling the resumption of flights an important milestone in strengthening people-to-people and economic links between India and China.