Direct India-China flights resume after over five years on two routes

Direct commercial flights between India and mainland China resumed this week after more than five years, with IndiGo restarting daily services between Kolkata and Guangzhou on Oct. 26 and China Eastern Airlines announcing a three-times-weekly Shanghai–Delhi service beginning Nov. 9.

IndiGo’s A320neo departed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata at about 10:00 p.m. on Oct. 26, carrying 176 passengers, airport officials said. The carrier is operating daily nonstop Kolkata–Guangzhou flights, and has signaled plans to begin Delhi–Guangzhou services in early November, subject to regulatory clearance. China Eastern said it will operate Shanghai–Delhi flights on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays using an Airbus A330-200.

Airport and airline officials described the return of services as the result of sustained technical-level engagement between Indian and Chinese civil aviation authorities and broader diplomatic interactions. The civil aviation ministry earlier this month said air services between the two countries would resume by the end of October following continuous technical discussions, a step it said would enhance connectivity and support people-to-people...