China and India Resume Direct Flights After Five Years: A Milestone in Rebuilding Bilateral Relations

Oct 09, 2025 09:19 pm CST

After a five-year suspension, direct flights between China and India are set to resume on October 26, 2023, marking a significant step in normalizing bilateral relations following border tensions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese officials have described this development as a positive move that demonstrates both nations' commitment to implementing the agreements reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during recent diplomatic engagements. IndiGo and China Eastern will be the first airlines to operate these routes, facilitating renewed people-to-people exchanges and economic collaboration between the world's two most populous nations.