India and China will restart direct passenger flights between designated cities this month, ending a suspension of more than five years, India’s foreign ministry announced on Thursday.
IndiGo, India’s largest carrier, will operate daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou starting October 26, and is also planning to launch a New Delhi–China route soon.
The resumption of services comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China last month — his first in seven years — to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. During talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, both leaders agreed that India and China were “development partners, not rivals,” and discussed strengthening trade ties amid global tariff uncertainty.
Modi also raised concerns over India’s widening trade deficit with China, which currently stands at nearly $99.2 billion, while stressing the importance of peace and stability along the disputed border where a 2020 clash triggered a prolonged military standoff.
The move is seen as a cautious but significant step toward easing bilateral tensions and boosting connectivity between Asia’s two largest economies.