“Book Guangzhou flights with IndiGo at the lowest fare,” reads the IndiGo portal after announcing that they would be connecting with China from 26 October.
After a gap of five years, direct flights will be resumed between the two nations. The first sector will be Kolkata-Guangzhou. Delhi will be added next on the map.
“It has now been agreed that direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October 2025, in keeping with the winter season schedule,” a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that the move will “further facilitate people-to-people contact between India and China, contributing towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges.”
“As the world’s two most populous neighbours, China and India together account for over 2.8 billion people. The resumption of direct flights between the Chinese mainland and India will further facilitate cross-border travel, exchanges, and cooperation. For some time, the Chinese side has been in close communication with India to promote the early resumption of direct flights between the two countries,” said China’s spokesperson to India.
IndiGo, while announcing daily flights between Guangzhou and Kolkata, said New Delhi will be added soon – “subject to regulatory approvals”. Tickets for flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou have been open for sale since 3 October. Sources have said that Air India is likely to connect Shanghai with India during the next few months.
A possible delay in the submission of applications to the Indian government had held up the resumption of flights by Chinese carriers such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Shandong Airlines. Some of these airlines are likely to add Beijing to their map.
When tensions clipped the wings
It may be recalled that all international flights were banned on 22 March 2020, as part of lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. International flights gradually resumed from the first week of May 2020 through special air bubble arrangements until March 2022, when normal commercial international flights were once again permitted. But direct flights between India and China did not restart because of tensions in the relationship between the two countries following the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020.
However, a thaw in relations began when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan last year and this year in Tianjin for the SCO Summit.
The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra was resumed this year for Indians, and both countries have begun issuing visas.
Bilateral trade between India and China has increased to reach $127.7 billion in 2024-25. Improving connectivity will give a further boost to this.
Discontinuing flights had impacted traders. For over five years, Indian traders have had to transit through other countries such as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore, to reach China, resulting in increased travel time and costs.
The tourism industry welcomed the government’s decision. China is one of the world’s largest sources of outbound tourism and makes a significant contribution to inbound tourism for India. Resumption of air links between the two countries is welcome, especially as India hasn’t yet reached pre-Covid levels of inbound tourists, which used to be at 11.5 million and today lags at 9.5 million. This move will also strengthen ties between India and China,” said Subhash Goyal, founder-chairman, STIC Travel Group of Companies.