India and China restarted direct flight operations on 26 October 2025 following a five-year halt. The resumption is significant for trade and serves as a symbolic gesture as the two Asian nations cautiously work to improve their relationship.
Flights between the two nations were initially stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and did not resume after a clash between troops in a disputed Himalayan border that took at least 20 Indian and four Chinese victims.
In the morning of 27 October 2025, IndiGo flight 6E1703 from Kolkata, India, arrived in Guangzhou, a city in South China, carrying approximately 180 passengers. This move is a sign that the two countries have been gradually restoring their relationship, following a 2024 deal on de-escalating border tension.
✈️ #IndiaSoarsBeyondBorders
— Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) October 26, 2025
A new chapter in connectivity!@IndiGo6E resumes direct daily flights between #KolkataAirport & Guangzhou today.
Inaugurated by a passenger, Airport Director Dr. P.R. Beuria and officials from @AAI_Official & IndiGo.
Total passengers onboard: 176. pic.twitter.com/mv6s6e20nt
According to the Indian government, restarting direct flights will “facilitate people-to-people contact” and support “the gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges.”
🇨🇳🇮🇳At 3:49 AM on October 27, an IndiGo aircraft, operating as flight 6E1703 with 176 passengers on board, landed safely at #Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The resumption of the Kolkata-Guangzhou route officially restores direct passenger flights between Chinese Mainland… pic.twitter.com/W3PPaeKqF5
— Record GBA (@RecordGBA) October 27, 2025
Additionally, during the Hindu festival Diwali, soldiers on each side of the border exchanged sweets, “marking a gesture of goodwill,” shared Yu Jing, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Embassy in India.
The efforts are part of a series of actions that aim to normalise the ties between the two countries. In August 2025, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to China for his first visit in seven years, meeting with President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit. This trip followed an earlier visit that month by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to India, where “de-escalation, delimitation, and boundary affairs” were discussed with Delhi officials.
Had a fruitful meeting with President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. We reviewed the positive momentum in India-China relations since our last meeting in Kazan. We agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas and… pic.twitter.com/HBYS5lhe9d
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 31, 2025
Before the pandemic, the two countries operated around 2,588 scheduled flights, according to data from the Official Airline Guide (OAG). This equals seven one-way flights daily, which highlights the scale of connectivity that existed before the connections came to a halt.
Starting 9 November 2025, China Eastern Airlines is scheduled to begin operating a new route between Shanghai and Delhi with flights scheduled three times per week, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India posted on X.
Direct flights between China and India are now a reality.
— Yu Jing (@ChinaSpox_India) October 26, 2025
✈️ Kolkata → Guangzhou launches today.
Shanghai ↔ New Delhi starts Nov 9, flying 3 times a week. pic.twitter.com/rxa0ag4jFd
The warming of relations between India and China comes at a time when both countries are grappling with foreign policy challenges posed by US President Donald Trump. India’s relationship with the US has been strained as Delhi attempts to convince Washington to withdraw its plan for 50 per cent trade tariffs.
Meanwhile, the two are facing Western scrutiny over their connections to Russia. Trump is set to meet with President Xi Jinping on 30 October 2025 in an effort to prevent the trade war from escalating.
