By A Correspondent

Kolkata: After more than five years, India and China have re-established direct air connectivity, a move that signals a slow but steady easing of tensions between the two Asian powers.

On Oct. 26, 2025, at night, India’s private airline IndiGo launched its first direct flight from Kolkata to Guangzhou, marking a milestone in the gradual normalisation of ties.

IndiGo flight 6E1703 departed Kolkata at 9:53 p.m. and reached Guangzhou in about three and a half hours. The airline plans to follow this with a New Delhi–Guangzhou service starting Nov. 10.

Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines will begin direct flights between Shanghai and Delhi from Nov. 9, further expanding travel options between the two countries.

Direct passenger flights between India and China were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and never resumed due to the sharp deterioration in ties following the 2020 border clashes in eastern Ladakh.

The decision to restart air services was first discussed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in August, Modi’s first visit to China in seven years.

The revival of direct flights is expected to boost trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges between the world’s two most populous nations.

Business communities on both sides have long pushed for the restoration of direct connectivity to simplify logistics and reduce travel time.

According to industry reports, Air India is also planning to relaunch flights between New Delhi and Shanghai, though an official date has not been announced yet.

With IndiGo’s Kolkata–Guangzhou route now operational, passengers will no longer have to transit through Hong Kong, Singapore, or Bangkok, a small but meaningful sign of renewed engagement between India and China.

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