India and China will resume direct flight services later this month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.
Air connectivity between the two countries had been suspended in 2020 following the COVID-19 outbreak and was not restored amid the ongoing border tensions in eastern Ladakh.
According to the MEA, direct flights linking designated points in India and China are expected to restart by late October, subject to the commercial decisions of designated airlines and fulfillment of all operational requirements.
Earlier this year, civil aviation authorities from both countries held technical-level discussions on resuming direct flights and revising the existing air services agreement, the statement added.
IndiGo Announces Kolkata–Guangzhou Route
IndiGo confirmed on Thursday that it will relaunch flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou starting October 26. The airline will operate daily, non-stop services on the route. Pending regulatory approvals, IndiGo also intends to introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou in the near future.
The resumption of direct flights, along with the normalization of visa issuances—both long-standing demands from China—was discussed during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Beijing in January. At that time, both sides had agreed “in principle” to restart direct air connectivity. The issue was also raised in subsequent talks between the foreign and aviation ministers of the two countries.
During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi in August, both sides further agreed to restore direct flight services between mainland China and India at the “earliest.”
Impact of the Suspension
The absence of direct connectivity, combined with strict visa restrictions, has resulted in significant losses for airlines in both India and China. Meanwhile, carriers from Southeast Asian nations capitalized on the gap. Currently, passenger traffic between the two countries—routed entirely through hubs in South and Southeast Asia—is less than half of 2019 levels.
Airlines from Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam are currently catering to most of this demand. Notably, Hong Kong International Airport continues to serve as the leading connecting hub between India and mainland China. However, it is not categorized as a mainland Chinese airport due to Hong Kong’s special autonomous status and its separate visa regime.
