Key Takeaways
- Direct flights between India and China resume after five-year suspension
- First flights begin October 26, with major routes restarting through November 2025
- China calls this a “positive step” in rebuilding bilateral relations
- Move follows easing of border tensions and high-level diplomatic engagements
China has welcomed the resumption of direct flights with India as a significant step toward improving bilateral relations. The first commercial flights in five years will take off this Sunday, marking a major breakthrough in people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun described the flight restart as “the latest progress” in implementing understandings between both countries. He emphasized this would facilitate friendly exchanges between their combined population of over 2.8 billion people.
Flight Schedule Details
India had announced the flight resumption on October 2, with services beginning October 26. IndiGo will restart Kolkata-Guangzhou flights from October 26 and Delhi-Guangzhou routes from November 10, 2025. China Eastern Airlines resumes Shanghai-Delhi service from November 9.
Guo Jiakun stated Beijing is willing to work with New Delhi to promote healthy bilateral ties and contribute to regional peace and prosperity.
Background: From Border Tensions to Thaw
The flight suspension began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 but was prolonged by border tensions in eastern Ladakh. Relations had deteriorated significantly after the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, reaching their lowest point since the 1962 war.
Multiple diplomatic and military talks led to phased troop withdrawals along the Line of Actual Control. A disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok was reached in October last year, followed by another Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan where further normalization steps were agreed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first indicated the flight resumption was under consideration during his August 31 meeting with President Xi Jinping in Tianjin.
