India-China direct flights to resume in Oct to boost people-to-people exchanges

After a gap of more than five years, India and China are set to resume direct flights between the two countries, in another sign of normalization of bilateral ties that will help boost economic and people-to-people exchanges.

In its statement on Oct 2, India's Ministry of External Affairs said it has 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.

Flight operations are "subject to commercial decision of the designated carriers from the two countries and fulfilment of all operational criteria", according to the statement.

Also on Oct 2, India's largest airline IndiGo announced that it will restart nonstop flight services from Kolkata, the capital of India's eastern West Bengal state, to Guangzhou, the largest city in China's Guangdong province, on a daily basis later this month.

"We're delighted to announce the resumption of our flights to China, with direct flights to Guangzhou from Kolkata starting 26th October, 2025, further strengthening our commitment to making air travel more accessible for our customers," the carrier said in a post on social media platform X.

"We are thankful to the (Indian) Ministry of Civil Aviation for their continued guidance and support," it said.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was quoted by Indian media as saying in a press release, "We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India.

"This will once again allow seamless movement of people, goods, and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between the two of the world's most populous countries and fast-growing economies."

India's foreign ministry said the resumption follows discussions between civil aviation authorities of the two sides since earlier this year, which encompassed talks pertaining to a revised Air Services Agreement.

"This agreement of the civil aviation authorities will further facilitate people-to-people contact between India and China, contributing towards the gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges," the statement said.

Since earlier this year, as part of the approach towards gradual normalization of relations between India and China, civil aviation authorities of the two countries have been engaged in technical-level discussions on resuming direct air services between the two countries.

vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com