NEW DELHI/BEIJING: India and China will resume direct passenger flights later this month, ending a suspension that lasted more than five years and signalling a cautious thaw in ties between the two Asian giants, India’s foreign ministry announced on Thursday.
Direct air connectivity between the neighbours has been suspended since 2020, when a deadly border clash in Ladakh pushed bilateral relations to their lowest point in decades. Despite the freeze in passenger flights, China has remained India’s largest trading partner, with commerce continuing even amid military standoffs and political tensions.
The resumption will begin with India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, operating a daily non-stop service between Kolkata and Guangzhou starting October 26. The airline has also revealed plans to connect New Delhi with a Chinese city in the near future, though details have not yet been finalised.
A cautious easing of tensions
The announcement comes just weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to China for the first time in seven years, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. During talks on the sidelines, Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping sought to ease tensions, portraying India and China as “development partners, not rivals.”
Both leaders agreed on the need to strengthen trade and economic ties in a global environment marked by tariff disputes and supply chain disruptions. Modi, however, pressed concerns over India’s ballooning trade deficit with China, which now stands at nearly $99.2 billion, and reiterated the importance of ensuring peace along the contested Himalayan frontier.
A step towards normalization
Diplomats say the decision to restart flights is a symbolic but important gesture of goodwill. While full normalization remains elusive — given the lingering mistrust over the border and geopolitical competition — the move suggests that both governments are willing to create space for economic and people-to-people engagement.
Observers note that restoring connectivity could pave the way for greater business exchanges, educational links, and tourism, though much will depend on whether political tensions can be contained. For now, the resumption of flights marks the first significant sign of rapprochement since relations soured five years ago.
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