India and China will resume direct flights to designated cities later this month, subject to a decision by airline operators, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Thursday. Direct flights between the two Asian giants were suspended following the Covid-19 pandemic and the Galwan standoff in 2020.
In a statement, the MEA said, both governments were engaged in talks to normalise ties, and civil aviation authorities of the two nations "have been engaged in technical-level discussions on resuming direct air services between the two countries and on a revised 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 the commercial decision of the designated carriers from the two countries and fulfilment of all operational criteria," it said. The ministry said the move would contribute towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges between the countries.
Earlier in August, the Centre had reportedly asked airline operators like IndiGo and Air India to chart direct flight services to the neighbouring nation.
Before the 2020 Galwan clashes, over a dozen direct flights were being operated every week, connecting cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Kunming with New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata by key Indian operators. Besides this, Chinese operators such as Air China, China Southern and China Eastern also operated direct services to India.
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