IndiGo Launches First India-China Flight After 5 Years, China Eastern to Follow

India and China have officially resumed direct commercial flights after more than five years, marking a major step toward restoring normal travel and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The agreement to reopen air routes was signed in August 2025, and the first flight took off on October 26, when IndiGo launched its inaugural Kolkata–Guangzhou service.

IndiGo plans to operate this route three times a week and will add a Delhi–Guangzhou connection starting November 10. Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines will restart its Shanghai–Delhi flights on November 9, operating three times weekly with Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

Air India is also expected to bring back its Delhi–Shanghai route later in the year, nearly restoring the full network of pre-pandemic air links between the two nations.

Flight suspensions began with the pandemic and were prolonged after the violent Galwan Valley clash in 2020, which resulted in casualties on both sides. Since then, travelers have been forced to connect through third countries such as Singapore or Hong Kong.

Improved diplomatic dialogue and military disengagement in 2024 have paved the way for this long-awaited restoration.

Photo by Tanvir Hasanat Rahat on Unsplash