India – China Direct Flights to Resume from October 26, Sale of Tickets from Friday
NEW DELHI, Oct 2: After a gap of over five years, IndiGo airlines will start flying to Guangzhou from Kolkata from October 26 in keeping with the Ministry of External Affairs’ announcement earlier that India and China flights can start from later this month.
“It has now been agreed that direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October 2025, in keeping with the winter season schedule,” according to MEA’s statement on Thursday.
The announcement was followed by IndiGo announcing daily flights between Guangzhou and Kolkata, adding that the Chinese trading hub would also be connected with New Delhi soon “subject to regulatory approvals.” Flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou will open for sale from Friday. Industry sources said Air India too expects to start flights to Shanghai “before the end of the year.”
Direct flights between India and China have been suspended since March 2020, when India halted all international travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic. While restrictions eased gradually for many countries, flights to China remained suspended due to heightened border tensions following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020.
IndiGo’s flights start on the first day of the winter schedule that starts on the last Sunday of October, which in 2025 will be October 26. The annual aviation timetable is divided into summer and winter schedules and allows airlines to plan and adjust their flights. Summer schedule starts from the last Sunday in March.
On the resumption of flights by Chinese carriers such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Shandong Airlines, sources said there has been a delay in their application submission to the government. Air China is learnt to have sought permission to connect Beijing with either Delhi or Mumbai, said one industry veteran.
“This agreement of the civil aviation authorities will further facilitate people-to-people contact between India and China, contributing towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges,” read the press statement.
For over five years, travellers needing to move between India and China relied on connecting flights via third-country hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore, resulting in increased travel time and costs.
(Manas Dasgupta)
