India, China Move To Restore Direct Flights

India and China have agreed to resume direct flights for the first time in more than five years, marking a significant step toward mending diplomatic ties and restoring travel links disrupted by the pandemic and a deadly border clash.

The decision, announced following bilateral talks in New Delhi between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, comes as both sides seek to restore travel and rebuild economic links.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the “steady and positive progress in bilateral ties” and emphasized the “importance of maintaining peace and tranquility on the border,” a reference to the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that plunged relations to their lowest point in decades.

Although no date has been set, state media reported that the two governments will finalize an updated air services agreement and restart flights “at the earliest” opportunity. The restoration of direct connectivity would mark the first time since early 2020 that passengers can travel nonstop between the two countries.

Before flights were halted, nine nonstop routes linked cities including New Delhi–Shanghai, Mumbai–Beijing and Kolkata–Kunming, with India–China O&D traffic totaling more than 1.25 million two-way passengers annually.

According to Sabre Market Intelligence, New Delhi–Shanghai was the largest city pair in 2019 with about 149,000 passengers, followed by New Delhi–Guangzhou and Mumbai–Shanghai.

However, by 2024, overall traffic between the two countries had fallen by half to about 617,000, with most travelers forced onto one-stop connections through Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok. Mumbai–Shanghai ranked as the largest city pair last year, with about 60,000 passengers, followed by New Delhi–Shanghai (51,900) and New Delhi–Guangzhou (40,500).

Chinese carriers dominated nonstop service prior to the suspension. China Southern Airlines held a 31% share of seat capacity in 2019, followed by China Eastern Airlines at 27% and Air China at 17%. Air India and IndiGo accounted for less than 20% combined.

However, while Chinese carriers are likely to return first, Air India’s long-haul fleet renewal and IndiGo’s growing international ambitions could help Indian operators capture more share in the reopened market.

The resumption of nonstop service is also expected to benefit tourism and business travel while supporting robust trade flows, which totaled more than $131 billion in 2024.