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2w ago

India–China Direct Flights To Resume October 26 After Five-Year Pause

Technical talks set up a cautious relaunch that still depends on airline decisions plus regulatory clearances.

FILE - An aircraft of India's budget airline IndiGo is serviced at Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, India, Sept. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
An IndiGo airlines passenger aircraft taxis on the tarmac at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai.
India, China to resume direct passenger flights by late October
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Overview

  • India’s external affairs ministry said both sides agreed to restart direct air services by late October in line with the winter schedule, subject to operational criteria.
  • IndiGo announced daily non-stop Kolkata–Guangzhou flights from October 26 and opened bookings on October 3, with a Delhi–Guangzhou route planned pending approvals.
  • Air India is preparing to revive Delhi–Shanghai by year-end, according to industry and government sources, as Chinese carriers seek clearances to serve Delhi from Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
  • Officials confirmed that talks to revise the bilateral Air Services Agreement continue, including seat capacity, destinations and weekly frequencies, pointing to a phased rollout.
  • Direct links were halted in 2020 due to the pandemic and border tensions, and the restart is intended to ease travel and support people-to-people exchanges and economic activity.