Direct India-China flights to resume by late October 2025

India and China agreed on Thursday to resume direct commercial flights between designated points by late October 2025, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said, marking the first regular air links between the two countries since 2020. The decision follows months of technical-level talks between their civil aviation authorities and comes as diplomatic contacts between New Delhi and Beijing have begun to show signs of a cautious thaw.

"Direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October 2025," the ministry said, adding that the restart will align with the winter schedule and is subject to the commercial decisions of carriers and fulfilment of operational criteria. Officials said the resumption depends on safety, traffic rights and other regulatory clearances that remain to be finalised.

Regular flights were halted in early 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic and were not restored as tensions rose after a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 and an extended military standoff along parts of the Line of Actual Control. Since the start of 2025, civil aviation authorities from both sides have held negotiations on a revised Air...