An ongoing border dispute between China and India is preventing the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, four years after the last route was flown.
A deadly clash in 2020 on the Himalayan border between Chinese and Indian troops saw Chinese-Indian relations sour. In 2019 there were 539 direct passenger flights between the nations. Now there are none.
Instead, flyers must look for connections in international hubs such as Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore – ramping up ticket costs and journey time from around six hours to at least 10, as well as unnecessarily increasing air miles flown and carbon footprints. IndiGo currently operates the Delhi-Hong Kong route seven times a week, with passenger numbers connecting to mainland China proving demand for a direct service.
Pressure for change
China is in the process of easing its various international visa agreements and approving new destinations as part of a huge push to boost its tourism sector. That policy has seen the Chinese government reportedly approach Indian authorities several times this year to find a solution to the aviation situation, which, according to PieNews, is putting Indian students off visiting China. One Foreign Ministry official has said “early resumption of direct flights” would be good for both countries.
Airlines too are pressing for change. Reuters has reported Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, India’s largest airline, as saying Chinese carriers are pressing Beijing for a return to direct routes, while Indian counterparts are also in ongoing discussions with New Delhi.
Peace a pre-requisite
But it appears that it is New Delhi blocking movement on the issue, with one senior official reported as setting out some tough red lines: “Unless there is peace and tranquillity on the border, the rest of the relationship cannot move forward.”
Flights were not grounded immediately in the wake of the border clash in 2020. Instead, they ceased four months later, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing restrictions. But when India re-opened its skies to international arrivals a year later, Chinese airlines remained unwelcome.
Of the 539 routes flown in 2019, 68% were operated by Chinese carriers, including China Southern, China Eastern, Air China and Shandong Airlines. If India’s position on resuming direct flights changes, it may well look to renegotiate that power balance, with greater capacity built in to new arrangements for Indian carriers such as IndiGo and Air India.
Commenting, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said direct India-China flights “would seem to be a huge potential market” but recognised the discussions and issues are “beyond our level” to resolve.
