After nearly five years of suspension, India and China have resumed direct flights, signaling a gradual improvement in diplomatic ties between the two Asian powers.
The first flight, IndiGo 6E 1703, landed on Monday in Guangzhou, southern China, carrying approximately 180 passengers from Kolkata, India, according to BBC reports.
Direct flights were suspended in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and remained halted following a violent border clash in the Himalayas, which further strained relations.
Steps Toward Normalization
Over the past year, both countries have taken significant measures to normalize relations:
- Border patrol management agreement last year, described as “historic” by diplomats.
- Indian PM Narendra Modi visited China in August, meeting President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited New Delhi weeks earlier to discuss de-escalation and border issues.
- India also resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens in July.
Economic and Public Reactions
Before the suspension in 2019, India and China had 2,588 annual flights between them.
In Kolkata, IndiGo staff celebrated the resumption with traditional oil lamps, while officials called the day “very important” for bilateral relations. Passengers expressed enthusiasm for faster and easier travel.
Businessman Krishna Goyal noted the convenience of direct flights would boost trade and bilateral contacts, reducing previous routes that required two or three connecting flights through Singapore.
Upcoming Routes
China Eastern Airlines will launch a new direct route from Shanghai to Delhi on November 9, with three weekly flights, according to the Chinese embassy in India.
Analysts consider the resumption of direct flights a key step toward rebuilding trust and cooperation between the region’s two largest economies, which had endured prolonged tension after the 2020 border clash.
