Key Takeaways
- China Eastern begins Delhi-Shanghai flights from Sunday, operating on alternate days
- IndiGo started Kolkata-Guangzhou service on October 26, with Delhi-Guangzhou flights from November 10
- Services resume after 5-year suspension due to COVID-19 and border tensions
- Diplomatic efforts since October 2023 have enabled restoration of air connectivity
China Eastern Airlines will launch its Delhi to Shanghai flight service starting Sunday, marking a significant step in restoring air connectivity between India and China after a five-year gap. The announcement comes just days after IndiGo commenced its Kolkata to Guangzhou operations.
The China Eastern flight will depart Delhi at 8 PM, arriving in Shanghai early Monday morning. The return flight leaves Shanghai at 12:30 PM, reaching Delhi by 6 PM the same evening. The service will operate on alternate days.
Strengthening India-China Connectivity
India’s Consul General in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, who plans to welcome passengers arriving from Delhi, stated that the resumed flights will open a new era of enhanced connectivity. He emphasized this development will foster stronger people-to-people ties between India, the world’s fastest-growing economy, and Eastern China’s business hub centered around Shanghai.
This will help to bring India closer to the fast-growing Eastern China Region, which also includes the AI hub of Hangzhou and trading hubs of Yiwu and Keqiao, the textile capital of China, he told PTI here.
Expanding Flight Operations
IndiGo will begin daily flights from Delhi to Guangzhou starting November 10. The airline formally initiated the resumption of China services on October 26 with its Kolkata to Guangzhou route.
Background: Five-Year Suspension
Flight services between India and China were suspended following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The suspension continued due to the over-four-year border standoff in eastern Ladakh, which concluded in October last year.
India-China relations had reached their lowest point since the 1962 war following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. Through diplomatic and military negotiations, both sides eventually withdrew troops from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
In October 2023, the countries finalized a disengagement agreement for Depsang and Demchok, the remaining two friction points. Shortly after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan, Russia, making several decisions to improve bilateral relations.
Recent months have seen multiple confidence-building measures, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and now the restoration of flight services.
