Key Points:
- IndiGo launched daily Kolkata-Guangzhou flights on October 26, 2025, marking the first direct India-China connection in five years
- China Eastern Airlines will operate Shanghai-Delhi flights thrice weekly starting November 9, 2025
- Air India plans to restart Delhi-Shanghai services by year-end 2025
- Direct flights were suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and remained halted due to Galwan Valley tensions
- Ministry of External Affairs announced resumption on October 2, 2025, following months of technical discussions
- China describes the move as a “positive step” to strengthen ties between nations with combined 2.8 billion population
New Delhi: After a prolonged five-year suspension, direct air connectivity between India and China officially resumed on October 26, 2025, with IndiGo launching its inaugural Kolkata-Guangzhou flight. This milestone represents a significant diplomatic achievement following months of technical-level negotiations between civil aviation authorities of both nations, signaling a thaw in bilateral relations that had been frozen since 2020.
The resumption comes as a result of continuous engagement between Indian and Chinese officials since early 2025, with both sides working to revise the Air Services Agreement and restore people-to-people connectivity. The Ministry of External Affairs announced on October 2, 2025, that direct flights would restart by late October, aligning with the winter flight schedule.
Multiple Airlines Join Connectivity Drive
IndiGo, India’s largest airline with over 400 aircraft and serving more than 118 million passengers annually, is spearheading the resumption by operating daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou using its Airbus A320neo aircraft. The low-cost carrier will also launch Delhi-Guangzhou services from November 10, 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. Tickets for these routes opened for sale on October 3, 2025, with one-way fares starting around 1,300-1,500 Chinese Yuan (approximately $183-211 USD).
China Eastern Airlines announced it will resume Shanghai-Delhi flights starting November 9, 2025, operating three times weekly on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flight MU563 will depart Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 12:50 PM, arriving at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, at 5:45 PM local time, while the return flight MU564 departs Delhi at 7:55 PM. The airline will deploy Airbus A330-200 twin-aisle aircraft featuring upgraded in-flight Wi-Fi and enhanced cabin experience for the nearly seven-hour journey.
Air India is also expected to resume Delhi-Shanghai operations by the end of 2025, further expanding connectivity options between the two Asian giants.
Strategic Significance for Economic Cooperation
The Shanghai-Delhi route is considered one of the most strategically significant air links between India and China, connecting major economic and cultural hubs of both nations. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers emphasized that the resumption will “allow seamless movement of people, goods, and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between two of the world’s most populous countries and fast-growing economies”.
InterGlobe Air Transport, which has served as the exclusive General Sales Agent (GSA) for China Eastern Airlines in India since 2002, will continue managing comprehensive sales, marketing, reservation, ticketing, and operational support for the Shanghai-Delhi route. The company pioneered direct China-India flights when China Eastern became the first Chinese carrier to offer such services in 2002.
The restoration of air connectivity is expected to re-establish avenues for cross-border trade, strategic business partnerships, and promote tourism between nations that together represent more than 2.8 billion people.
Background: From Pandemic to Prolonged Suspension
India suspended all international flights in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated globally. Simultaneously, China imposed strict border restrictions, effectively halting direct air services between the two countries. Before the suspension, over 500 direct flights operated monthly between India and China in December 2019, with more than a million passengers traveling annually between the nations.
However, while India gradually resumed flights with many countries after the pandemic, air connectivity with China remained suspended due to deteriorating bilateral relations following the Galwan Valley clash. On the night of June 15, 2020, a violent confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley resulted in the first fatalities on the India-China border in four decades, with twenty Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers killed. Both nations held each other responsible for the incident, which led to deepened tensions and a complete freeze on efforts to restore direct flights.
The absence of direct connectivity forced passengers to take exhausting routes through third countries, with fares skyrocketing due to limited options.
Diplomatic Thaw Paves Way for Connectivity
The resumption of flights follows significant diplomatic progress in 2025. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi in August 2025 marked the first high-level dialogue in three years, producing concrete outcomes including agreement to resume direct passenger flights, reopen three designated border trade passes, and facilitate visas and pilgrimage routes. This was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in seven years, where he met President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin on August 31, 2025.
Both leaders emphasized that China and India should be viewed as partners in development rather than rivals, signaling a commitment to move beyond border frictions and focus on economic cooperation.
China Welcomes “Positive Step” for Bilateral Relations
Responding to questions about the flight resumption, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun described it as “the latest achievement of the agreement reached between the two countries” and “a positive step toward strengthening the friendly relations and exchanges between India and China”. Chinese officials have emphasized the importance of placing the relationship in a strategic perspective and viewing it as essential for regional stability and development.
The restoration of direct flights is being viewed as a crucial element in normalizing bilateral exchanges and reviving people-to-people contact after years of strained relations. Beyond passenger travel, the flights will also help restore cargo services between the two nations, benefiting both economies through the regular flow of goods.
As Asia’s two largest emerging economies work toward greater connectivity, the resumption of direct flights represents not just a restoration of air links, but a broader signal of cautious rapprochement aimed at balancing strategic competition with pragmatic cooperation.
