KOLKATA: Direct flights between India and China have resumed after a four-year suspension, marking a significant step toward the normalization of bilateral relations between the two Asian neighbors.

On Monday, IndiGo flight 6E 1703 from Kolkata landed in Guangzhou, southern China, carrying around 180 passengers.

This was the first direct passenger flight between the two countries since early 2020, when air services were halted amid the Covid-19 pandemic and later prolonged due to the border clash in the Galwan Valley, which had severely strained diplomatic ties.

The resumption comes amid a broader trend of cautious rapprochement.

The Indian government said the move would “facilitate people-to-people contact” and help in “the gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges.”

The Chinese side also welcomed the restart, with Qin Yong, a senior Chinese consular official, calling it a “very important day for the India-China relationship.”

Before the suspension, India and China operated about 2,588 scheduled flights in 2019, according to travel data provider OAG.
At Kolkata airport on Sunday evening, airline staff lit traditional brass oil lamps to celebrate the occasion as passengers checked in for the historic flight.

Passengers expressed relief that travel between the two nations would once again become more convenient.

Krishna Goyal, a business traveller bound for China, told ANI, “Earlier, we had to take two or three connecting flights, often through Singapore. Direct flights will now save time and boost trade and relations between the countries.”

The resumption of air links follows a series of diplomatic and people-to-people developments.

In July, India restarted issuing visas to Chinese tourists, while in August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Xi Jinping for the first time in seven years on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

The two leaders discussed steps to further stabilise ties, including de-escalation along the border.

China is also preparing to expand the air connection network. China Eastern Airlines will launch a Shanghai–Delhi route starting 9 November, operating three flights per week, according to a post by the Chinese embassy in India on X (formerly Twitter).

Analysts view the renewed air connectivity as a symbol of thawing diplomatic relations after years of tension. Both sides appear to be cautiously moving toward rebuilding trust through gradual and pragmatic cooperation.