Overview
- IndiGo’s A320neo departed Kolkata for Guangzhou at 10 pm IST on October 26 with 176 passengers, restoring a direct link suspended since early 2020.
- Daily service on the Kolkata–Guangzhou route is now operational, with China Eastern to begin Shanghai–Delhi flights on November 9 and IndiGo to add Delhi–Guangzhou on November 10.
- Beijing’s foreign ministry framed the move as implementing the leaders’ consensus, while India earlier confirmed technical agreements designating routes for a late‑October restart.
- Direct services were halted by the pandemic and then held back by the 2020 Galwan border clash, and the restart is being presented as cautious normalization of exchanges.
- Airport and business representatives expect faster travel to support trade, tourism, education and regional commerce, notably linking eastern India with southern China.