India and China have agreed to resume direct passenger flights from late October 2025 after a suspension of more than five years.
The decision, which followed technical discussions between aviation authorities of the two countries, is a symbol of the gradual improvement of bilateral relations, which were damaged by border tensions in Ladakh in 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, flights between selected cities of the two countries, including Kolkata to Guangzhou and Delhi to Guangzhou, will commence from October 26, based on the commercial decisions of the airlines and compliance with operational requirements.
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has announced that it will launch daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from this date and also has plans to connect to Delhi.
The move comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Xi Jinping for the first time in seven years at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China last month, emphasizing maintaining border peace and reducing India’s $99.2 billion trade deficit with China.
