China on Thursday welcomed the resumption of direct flights with India after a five-year hiatus, calling it a “positive move” reflecting both countries’ commitment to the understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.
Speaking at a media briefing, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the services would restart by the end of October, reinforcing the importance of people-to-people exchanges. “This is the latest move that demonstrates how the two sides faithfully act on the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin on August 31,” he said.
Guo added that the flights would facilitate “friendly exchanges of over 2.8 billion Chinese and Indian people” and enhance cooperation across multiple sectors.
India had earlier announced that direct flights would resume from October 26, with Indian carrier IndiGo and China Eastern set to operate initial services. IndiGo plans daily flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou and intends to launch Delhi-Guangzhou routes, “subject to regulatory approvals,” it said.
The suspension of flights followed the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and was further prolonged due to the four-year border standoff in eastern Ladakh. After troop disengagements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last year, efforts to normalise bilateral ties gathered pace.
Also read: India-China direct flights to restart from Oct 26
During the Tianjin SCO summit on August 31, Modi and Xi welcomed “positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.” Guo said China stands ready to work with India “to view and handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, be friends enjoying good-neighbourliness and partners helping each other succeed, and realise a cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant so as to deliver more tangibly for the two peoples and make due contributions to upholding peace and prosperity in Asia and beyond.”
The resumption of flights is expected to strengthen economic collaboration, boost tourism, and support cultural and educational exchanges. The Ministry of Civil Aviation highlighted that the move followed “continuous technical-level engagement between civil aviation authorities as part of broader efforts to normalise bilateral ties.”
Over the past year, India-China relations have seen several measures to restore confidence, including troop disengagements at Depsang and Demchok, the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and ongoing diplomatic engagement.
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