'People-to-people contact': India, China to resume direct flights by late October; engage in technical-level discussions

NEW DELHI: India and China are set to resume direct passenger flights by the end of October 2025, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday, marking a significant step towards restoring normalcy in bilateral ties.

In a press release, the MEA said both sides have been holding technical-level discussions since earlier this year on restarting direct air services and revising the Air Services Agreement.


"Following these discussions, 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, subject to commercial decision of the designated carriers from the two countries and fulfilment of all operational criteria," the press release added.

MEA added that the move is expected to expand people-to-people contact between the two neighbours.

"This agreement of the civil aviation authorities will further facilitate people-to-people contact between India and China, contributing towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges," it said.

IndiGo to resume its flight services

IndiGo announced the resumption of its service to Mainland China following the recent diplomatic initiatives. It will resume its flight services connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou (CAN) with daily, non-stop flights starting October 26, according to the official statement.

"Subject to regulatory approvals, IndiGo will also introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou shortly. IndiGo will use its Airbus A320neo aircraft to operate these flights that will re-establish avenues for cross-border trade and strategic business partnerships and promote tourism between the two nations," the airline said.

IndiGo said its "past experience and familiarity with local partners" enabled it to resume these flights swiftly.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said: "We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India. This will once again allow seamless movement of people, goods, and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between the two of the world’s most populous countries and fast-growing economies… looking at introducing more direct flights into China." The flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou will open for sale from Friday.


The significant development came after an ice-breaker meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

In 2019, India and China had 539 direct flights operated by airlines including Air India, IndiGo, China Southern and China Eastern. In March 2020, international flights were halted during Covid. The Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020 sent ties between the two countries into a deep chill. Since 2020, travelling between India and China means doing so through a third country, mostly in Southeast Asia.

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