India and China to resume direct flights by month-end after more than four years

India and China have agreed to resume direct passenger flights by the end of the ongoing month, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday, marking a significant step towards restoring normalcy in bilateral ties after the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The MEA said in a press release that both sides have been holding technical-level discussions since earlier this year on restarting direct air services and revising the Air Services Agreement. The discussions focused on restoring direct connectivity and finalising a revised Air Services Agreement. Under the arrangement, designated carriers from India and China will be permitted to operate direct flights, starting with the winter season schedule, provided all other necessary requirements are met.

“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 season schedule, subject to commercial decision of the designated carriers from the two countries and fulfilment of all operational criteria,” the press release added.

MEA added that the move is expected to expand people-to-people contact between the two neighbours. "This agreement of the civil aviation authorities will further facilitate people-topeople contact between India and China, contributing towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges," it said.

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The move is likely to boost people-to-people exchanges that were severely curtailed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent tensions along the India-China border. The resumption of air links would “contribute towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges”, said officials.

Direct flights between the two neighbouring nations had been suspended for more than four years, disrupting business, tourism, and academic exchanges. The announcement signals a thaw in ties, which remained strained despite continued diplomatic engagement.

The development comes in the backdrop of US-India trade negotiations and President Donald Trump’s imposition of 50 per cent tariffs against India.

Both governments have been making efforts to stabilise relations, with incremental steps aimed at restoring confidence and cooperation.

Air India will also resume direct flights between India and China, with the Delhi-Shanghai route being the first, said sources.

IndiGo to resume its flight from Oct 26

Manwhile, IndiGo airlines has announced the resumption of its service to Mainland China. It said in a press release that it will resume its daily, non-stop flights connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou from October 26. “Subject to regulatory approvals, IndiGo will also introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou shortly. IndiGo will use its Airbus A320neo aircraft to operate these flights that will re-establish avenues for cross-border trade and strategic business partnerships and promote tourism between the two nations,” the airline said.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said, “We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India.”

The flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou will open for sale from Friday.

In 2019, India and China had 539 direct flights operated by airlines including Air India, IndiGo, China Southern and China Eastern. The flights were halted in March 2020 after Covid outbreak. Since 2020, people travelling between India and China had to do so through a third country.