Direct flights between India and China have officially resumed after a five-year hiatus, marking a notable step towards normalisation of relations between the world’s two most populous nations, neighbours, and rapidly growing major economies.
Earlier this week, an IndiGo flight departed from Kolkata and landed in Guangzhou after a three-and-a-half-hour journey, restoring a vital air link that had been suspended since early 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pause in flights was prolonged following a deadly border clash in the Himalayas that sharply escalated tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
In recent months, however, both sides have taken concrete steps to ease frictions. The two countries reached an agreement last year on military disengagement along their disputed frontier and have since resumed high-level diplomatic dialogue for the first time in five years.
Confirming the resumption of flights, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India announced on X, “Direct flights between China and India are now a reality.”
Further connectivity is expected in the coming days. China Eastern Airlines will restart its Shanghai–Delhi service on November 9, while IndiGo plans to launch a new Delhi–Guangzhou route on November 10.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the restoration of direct air links will “facilitate people-to-people contact” and contribute to “the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges.”
The revival of air travel comes amid a broader improvement in India-China relations, a clear sign of thawing relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to China in seven years this August, followed by a reciprocal visit to India by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later that month.
During his trip, Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to advancing ties “on the basis of mutual trust and respect”, noting progress in stabilising border tensions and expanding cooperation.
Earlier this year, the Chinese Ambassador to India revealed that China had issued over 80,000 visas in the first four months of 2025, reflecting a steady increase in exchanges. Reports indicated that the Chinese Embassy has also simplified short-term visa procedures by removing the requirement for online appointments and biometric data collection.
Before the pandemic and the subsequent border tensions, air connectivity between the two nations was robust, with more than 500 weekly flights in 2019.
Both Air India and IndiGo had operated services to China, while Chinese carriers such as China Eastern maintained regular routes to Indian cities.
The reinstatement of direct flights is expected to deliver significant economic and social benefits with trade, business and education sectors in the two countries becoming huge and immediate beneficiaries.
For industry, the move will streamline logistics by allowing direct shipments between the two countries, reducing both transit times and costs associated with third-country routing.
Business travellers are likely to be among the biggest beneficiaries, as the restored connections will save valuable time and support closer commercial engagement.
The change will also facilitate greater mobility for students—both Chinese students pursuing studies in India and Indian students attending universities in China.
Analysts say the return of direct air links underscores a cautious yet meaningful warming in India-China relations, signalling a shared interest in rebuilding cooperation and restoring normalcy after years of strained ties.
Prominent aviation analyst Ashwini Phadnis noted: “Given the push that the Indian and Chinese government have been giving for more people to people contact, the starting of direct flights between the two neighbours was a question of time. This was reached this month.”
Phadnis said the genesis for the start of direct flights can be traced back to December 2024 when the meeting of the Special Representatives of the two countries – National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister – in December in Berlin last year.
“Probably, the biggest gainer will be industry as shipments will now arrive directly than coming through a third country which is a time consuming and expensive proposition. This move will also benefit the business community, which will now save time in travel. It will also help Chinese students wanting to come to India for further studies and Indian students wanting to study in China,” the New Delhi-based Phadnis said.
Pratap John is Business Editor at Gulf Times. X handle: @PratapJohn.