New Delhi: India and China will restart direct flights later this month after more than five years, ministry of external affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
Budget carrier IndiGo said it will launch non-stop daily flights connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou starting October 26, 2025. The airline also plans to introduce a direct service between Delhi and Guangzhou shortly thereafter.
Direct passenger flights between the two countries were suspended in 2020, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the sharp deterioration of diplomatic ties after deadly clashes along their disputed Himalayan border. Despite the freeze in air connectivity, China remains India’s largest bilateral trade partner, though India’s trade deficit with its neighbour has continued to widen, touching nearly $99.2 billion.
The resumption of flights comes weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to China for the first time in seven years to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. During the visit, Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping described the two countries as “development partners, not rivals,” and explored ways to bolster trade and economic cooperation amid growing global tariff uncertainty.
At the same time, Modi raised India’s concerns over the trade imbalance and underlined the need for “peace and stability” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where tensions have simmered since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash triggered a prolonged military standoff.