China on Thursday described the resumption of direct flights with India after a five-year hiatus as a “positive step,” saying it showed that both countries were “faithfully acting” on the understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to strengthen bilateral ties.
Speaking at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s first regular briefing after the national holidays, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the flights would resume by the end of October. India had earlier announced that direct services to China would restart from 26 October.
“This is the latest move that demonstrates how the two sides faithfully act on the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin on 31 August,” Guo said. The resumption, he added, would facilitate friendly exchanges between the 2.8 billion people of China and India.
Modi and Xi had met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where both leaders welcomed the “positive momentum and steady progress” in ties since their previous meeting in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.
Guo said China was ready to work with India to “view and handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective,” and to act as “friends and partners helping each other succeed.” He described the two nations’ cooperation as a “pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant,” underscoring their shared responsibility in promoting peace and prosperity across Asia.
While Air China and other Chinese carriers have yet to confirm their flight schedules, IndiGo and China Eastern are expected to be the first to resume services. IndiGo said it plans to operate daily flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou starting October 26 and will soon add a Delhi–Guangzhou route, subject to regulatory approvals.
Direct flights between India and China were suspended in 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic and remained grounded amid the border standoff in eastern Ladakh, which ended in October last year.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said the resumption followed “continuous technical-level engagement” between civil aviation authorities and was part of broader efforts to normalise ties. The move, it said, would “enhance air connectivity, support people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen economic collaboration.”
During the Tianjin meeting, Modi had noted that restarting flights was under consideration. Relations between the two nations had plunged to their lowest point since the 1962 war following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. After multiple rounds of talks, the two sides agreed to disengage from key friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including Depsang and Demchok.
Since finalising the disengagement pact, both countries have taken steps to rebuild trust — including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra — in what officials describe as a gradual effort to restore normalcy in ties. |
