Kolkata: Direct flights between India and China will finally resume today after being suspended for over four years. Resuming services, the first flight will take off from Kolkata to Guangzhou at 10 PM tonight. A direct flight between Shanghai and New Delhi will start on November 9 and operate three times a week, said Yu Jing Chen, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India. Direct flights were operational between the two countries until early 2020, before being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The services then remained suspended due to the eastern Ladakh border row. Following recent diplomatic initiatives, private carrier IndiGo announced it will resume services to China, connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou with daily, non-stop flights starting October 26. "The first flight is scheduled to leave Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 10 PM today," the official said. IndiGo Among First Indian Carriers to Resume Direct Flights to China, Reveals Future Schedule IndiGo, earlier this month, had announced that it would be among the first airlines to restart services between the two countries following the COVID-19 suspension. In its October 2 press release, the airline said it would start daily, nonstop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from October 26, 2025, using Airbus A320neo aircraft. IndiGo also mentioned plans to expand the service by introducing direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou, subject to regulatory approvals. These routes, the airline said, will help rebuild trade and tourism ties between India and China. Later, on October 11, IndiGo officially confirmed that daily direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou would start from November 10, strengthening connectivity between the two countries. The resumption of direct flights was also confirmed earlier this month by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Flights between India and China had been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, one of the deadliest border confrontations in decades. Since then, diplomatic and economic relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been tense. However, in October 2024, both sides reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), seen as a key step in easing tensions. Although dialogue had slowly resumed, direct commercial flights had remained grounded until now. With this development, both governments are signalling a move toward renewed engagement and cooperation, particularly in trade, business, and tourism. Earlier, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy also reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to development and improving ties, calling the resumption of flights an important milestone in strengthening people-to-people and economic links between India and China. With inputs from Agencies For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.
India-China Direct Flights to Resume Tonight After 4-Year Gap - Check Schedule
Kolkata: Direct flights between India and China will finally resume today after being suspended for over four years. Resuming services, the first flight will take off from Kolkata to Guangzhou at 10 PM tonight. A direct flight between Shanghai and New Delhi will start on November 9 and operate three times a week, said Yu Jing Chen, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India. Direct flights were operational between the two countries until early 2020, before being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The services then remained suspended due to the eastern Ladakh border row. Following recent diplomatic initiatives, private carrier IndiGo announced it will resume services to China, connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou with daily, non-stop flights starting October 26. "The first flight is scheduled to leave Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 10 PM today," the official said. IndiGo Among First Indian Carriers to Resume Direct Flights to China, Reveals Future Schedule IndiGo, earlier this month, had announced that it would be among the first airlines to restart services between the two countries following the COVID-19 suspension. In its October 2 press release, the airline said it would start daily, nonstop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from October 26, 2025, using Airbus A320neo aircraft. IndiGo also mentioned plans to expand the service by introducing direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou, subject to regulatory approvals. These routes, the airline said, will help rebuild trade and tourism ties between India and China. Later, on October 11, IndiGo officially confirmed that daily direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou would start from November 10, strengthening connectivity between the two countries. The resumption of direct flights was also confirmed earlier this month by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Flights between India and China had been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, one of the deadliest border confrontations in decades. Since then, diplomatic and economic relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been tense. However, in October 2024, both sides reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), seen as a key step in easing tensions. Although dialogue had slowly resumed, direct commercial flights had remained grounded until now. With this development, both governments are signalling a move toward renewed engagement and cooperation, particularly in trade, business, and tourism. Earlier, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy also reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to development and improving ties, calling the resumption of flights an important milestone in strengthening people-to-people and economic links between India and China. With inputs from Agencies For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.
