India and China have finally agreed to resume direct passenger flights by the end of October 2025, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This marks an important step towards restoring normal relations between the two countries after the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

Officials said that technical-level discussions have been ongoing since earlier this year to restart direct air services and revise the Air Services Agreement. These talks focused on restoring connectivity and finalising rules for airlines from both countries to operate direct flights safely and efficiently.

How flights will operate

Under the new arrangement, designated carriers from India and China will be allowed to operate direct flights. These services are expected to start with the winter schedule, provided all other requirements are met. The move is expected to boost people-to-people exchanges, which were heavily affected during the COVID-19 pandemic and due to border tensions between the two countries. Officials said the resumption of flights will help in the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges.

Direct flights between India and China had been suspended for more than four years, affecting business, tourism, and educational travel. The resumption of air links is seen as a positive signal for improving relations, despite earlier diplomatic challenges.

Which airlines will resume direct flights

Air India will resume its flights between India and China, with the Delhi-Shanghai route starting first. IndiGo has also announced that it will resume flights connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou from October 26. Subject to regulatory approvals, IndiGo will soon operate flights between Delhi and Guangzhou as well, using its Airbus A320neo aircraft. These flights are expected to strengthen trade, business partnerships, and tourism between the two nations.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said, “We are proud to be among the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India.” Tickets for the Kolkata-Guangzhou flights will be available for sale starting Friday. Before the suspension in March 2020, India and China had 539 direct flights operated by Air India, IndiGo, China Southern, and China Eastern. Since then, travellers have had to take indirect routes through third countries. The resumption of direct flights will make travel faster, easier, and more convenient for both business and leisure travellers.