After 5-year gap, India, China to resume flight services on Oct 26

Flights were suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 and prolonged border tensions in eastern Ladakh

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

After a five-year hiatus, direct flight services between India and China are set to restart later this month, marking a significant step in efforts to restore bilateral ties strained by the prolonged border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the resumption of flights, noting that the move follows continuous engagement between the civil aviation authorities of both countries. The announcement comes nearly a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held discussions on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

According to officials, Indian carrier IndiGo and China Eastern will be the first airlines to relaunch direct routes. IndiGo has already announced daily flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou starting October 26. The airline also indicated plans to add direct services between Delhi and Guangzhou, subject to regulatory clearance.