India-China flights resume after five years, Indigo reconnects Kolkata and Guangzhou

On Sunday, for the first time in five years, a direct flight between Kolkata and Guangzhou resumed, carrying 176 passengers aboard an IndiGo aircraft. The flight restored direct air connectivity between India and China , which had been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged by diplomatic tensions following border clashes in 2020.

Passengers on board told The Times of India that the wait had felt longer than five years for some. “I’m flying to meet some of my relatives back in China. I was a frequent flyer between Kolkata and China before COVID-19. Now that direct connectivity has returned, I hope to resume regular travel,” said Monica Liu, a passenger.

IndiGo’s Airbus A320 Neo departed from Kolkata at 10 p.m., just over a fortnight before the airline is set to launch its Delhi–Guangzhou service on 10 November. Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines is scheduled to resume its Shanghai–Delhi flight a day earlier, *TOI* reported.

It is pertinent to note that more than 40 weekly flights directly connect Indian metropolitan cities with those in China. However, all were suspended in 2020 amid escalating border and diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

Mending ties between India and China

The Union government’s decision to reopen tourist visas for Chinese nationals ultimately paved the way for the resumption of direct flights. This move followed an agreement in principle between Delhi and Beijing to restore air services during Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit in January this year.

Subsequently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in late August—his first in seven years—saw him and Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasise that the two countries should be viewed as partners in development rather than competitors.

Another passenger on the IndiGo flight told TOI that the direct service would save both time and money. “Over the past five years, we were forced to take detours via Delhi and Bangkok to reach China. It was not only exhausting but also extremely expensive. I had to limit my travel. This direct flight takes only three and a half hours and is significantly cheaper,” the passenger said.

IndiGo Chief Executive Pieter Elbers stated that the launch of direct flights would facilitate seamless movement between the two nations. “This will once again enable the smooth flow of people, goods and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between two of the world’s most populous countries and fastest-growing economies. With this important step, we are looking to introduce more direct flights to China.”

According to *TOI*, Kolkata Airport Director Pravat Ranjan Beuria and several senior IndiGo officials attended a brief ceremony before departure.