Resumption of direct flights from India after 5 years a positive step, China says

Direct flights between India and China will be resumed by the end of October

China on Thursday said that it is a positive step that direct flights with India are resuming after a five-year hiatus.

China also said that it only demonstrates that both countries are "faithfully acting" on the understandings that have been mutually reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to strengthen bilateral ties between India and China.

During the first media briefing that the Chinese Foreign Ministry held after its eight-day national holidays, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the flights would resume by the end of October.

Meanwhile, India had announced on October 2 that direct flights to China would resume from October 26.

In a press note, the MEA had announced last week that said civil aviation authorities of both countries have been holding technical-level discussions this year on resuming air services and updating the Air Services Agreement.

“Following these discussions, it has now been agreed that direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October 2025, in keeping with the winter schedule, subject to commercial decisions of designated carriers and fulfilment of operational criteria,” the note stated.

Direct flights between India and China had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 after clashes in the Galwan area. This forced passengers to travel through transit hubs like Hong Kong, Bangkok, or Singapore. The restoration of routes is expected to boost business, tourism, and people-to-people contact between Asia’s two largest economies.

Meanwhile, IndiGo also announced that it would be starting direct flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou starting October 26, 2025, with a Delhi route to follow pending regulatory clearance, reports said earlier. The airline will operate double daily services connecting both Delhi and Kolkata to Guangzhou, the airline said in a note.

"With this very important step, we are looking at introducing more direct flights into China. As we take steady strides towards becoming a global aviation player, this is a significant move to strengthen our international network," Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo, said.