India-China direct flights to resume from October 26 after five-year gap
The flights will be launched under the winter schedule, subject to commercial decisions by airlines and compliance with operational requirements. The government said this would ease people-to-people connectivity and help normalise bilateral relations.
New Delhi: Direct flights between India and China will resume on October 26, after being suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement, made by the Ministry of External Affairs, comes after the recent ice-breaker meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
The ministry said technical-level talks between aviation officials of both countries had been underway since the start of this year.
IndiGo to restart services to China
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, aviation authorities of both countries had been holding technical-level talks since the beginning of this year. Following the announcement, IndiGo said it would restart its services to China. From October 26, the airline will launch a daily non-stop flight from Kolkata to Guangzhou, with plans to add a Delhi–Guangzhou service soon.
IndiGo said it would deploy its Airbus A320neo aircraft for the flights. The resumption is expected to boost cross-border trade, revive strategic business partnerships, and promote tourism between the two neighbours.
Thaw in India-China relations
The flights will be launched under the winter schedule, subject to commercial decisions by airlines and compliance with operational requirements. The government said this would ease people-to-people connectivity and help normalise bilateral relations.
The announcement marks an important improvement in ties, which had remained tense despite continuous diplomatic engagement. Direct flights between India and China had been suspended for five years.