Flights take off again
On Monday 26 October 2025, commercial flights between India and China resumed after being suspended for more than five years. The first service, operated by Indian carrier IndiGo from Kolkata to Guangzhou, landed in southern China shortly before 4 a.m. local time. India’s government said the move would enhance “people-to-people contact” and support “gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges.”
Why flights were halted and why now they return
Direct air links were suspended in early 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained off-limits even as other routes reopened. The suspension was compounded by escalating tensions after a deadly border clash in the Himalayas in 2020, where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
The revival of flights comes amid signs of a cautious thaw between the two neighbours, driven by diplomatic engagement and shifting global alliances. Meetings between leaders of India and China earlier this year paved the way for incremental steps such as this one.
What the resumed connectivity means
- Trade and business: The direct route between Kolkata and Guangzhou cuts transfer time and simplifies logistics for companies working across the two markets. Business travellers onboard described the journey as “smooth and easy”.
- Tourism and cultural exchange: With direct flights back, tourism flows and cultural links have a better platform for recovery. Residents with family or business links on the other side welcomed the move.
- Symbolic diplomacy: The reinstatement serves as a visible signal of improved relations and a step toward de-escalation in the bilateral narrative. While structural issues remain, this signals movement.
The caveats: rivalries remain
Despite the positive optics, significant long-term challenges persist:
- The two countries continue to contest a 3,500-kilometre disputed border that has seen repeated standoffs.
- India still maintains restrictions on Chinese investments and banned hundreds of Chinese apps in the years after the border clash.
- Analysts caution that while aviation connectivity has been restored, deeper institutional trust and strategic alignment are far from settled.
What to watch next
- Whether more routes are added: services from New Delhi to Shanghai and Guangzhou are expected to begin in November.
- Whether the flight resumption is followed by broader measures: visa relaxations, business investment drives and cultural exchanges.
- The impact on regional diplomacy: how this step plays into India’s dealings with other powers (US, Japan) and China’s ambitions in Asia.
The takeaway
Resuming direct air links after more than half a decade is a meaningful milestone in India-China relations. It doesn’t erase the strategic tensions or border disputes, but it opens up a path toward practical engagement. In a region shaped by competition and confrontation, this seemingly small gesture may help lubricate harder diplomatic nuts ahead.
