India and China Restore Direct Flights After Five Years as Relations Gradually Improve

176 passengers mark the return of a direct air link

India and China have restored direct commercial flights after a pause lasting five years, reopening a travel corridor that remained closed long after pandemic restrictions eased. On Sunday night, IndiGo flight 6E 1703 departed Kolkata for Guangzhou with 176 passengers and landed roughly three and a half hours later.

The flight left Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport close to 10 p.m. local time and reached southern China early Monday morning. For business travelers, students and families, its departure restored a straightforward journey after years of connections through Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong.

As of October 28, 2025, the daily Kolkata to Guangzhou service is the first step in a gradual rebuilding of direct connections. China Eastern is scheduled to reconnect Shanghai and Delhi on November 9, with three flights a week. IndiGo plans to begin New Delhi to Guangzhou flights on November 10.

Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India, welcomed the reopening in a post on X, describing the return of a connection travelers could finally use again.

Direct flights between China and India are now a reality.

Beijing and New Delhi reached a border disengagement understanding last year, restarted dialogue between senior leaders and established mechanisms to manage incidents along the Line of Actual Control. The return of nonstop flights is the first practical result of that effort that many citizens will experience directly.

Before the suspension, the two countries operated about 2,588 scheduled flights during 2019, averaging around seven flights in one direction each day. Officials and airlines expect the restored network to develop gradually. Regular services already connect Indian cities with Hong Kong, which also served as a transfer point during the interruption in direct mainland connections.

Why the air corridor stayed closed

Direct flights stopped in early 2020 when both countries closed their borders to contain COVID-19. Later that year, a deadly confrontation on the disputed Himalayan frontier deepened the interruption and damaged relations between the two most populous countries.

At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers died in the fighting. Both sides then moved troops, armor and artillery into remote positions along the frontier. India tightened scrutiny of Chinese investment and banned hundreds of mobile apps.

The collapse in trust kept the air corridor closed even as most international routes returned. Restoring flights consequently required progress in diplomacy as well as a recovery from the pandemic.

India and China continued talking throughout the strained period, with discussions accelerating over the past year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of multilateral summits, while senior officials held rounds of talks on reducing tensions and managing boundary affairs.

The two governments announced military disengagement steps at selected friction points, meaning places where their forces had been confronting each other. They also revived working groups intended to prevent miscalculation. These measures seek to reduce the risk that a patrol encounter or misunderstood movement turns into another confrontation.

The steps that brought flights back

New Delhi and Beijing have pursued several practical measures alongside their border discussions. India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens in July. Beijing has again allowed Indian pilgrims to visit Mount Kailash in Tibet, restoring access to a pilgrimage route closed after the 2020 clash.

Modi visited China in August, his first visit in seven years, and met Xi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to New Delhi for boundary talks and consultations covering trade and visas.

Recent meetings in New Delhi addressed troop pullbacks, protocols along the frontier and the process for delimiting parts of the boundary. Delimiting a boundary means working out where its course should be defined. The discussions also covered reopening border trade at designated points and cooperation on rivers that cross national borders.

The sequence shows how the return of flights fits into a wider effort to restore ordinary channels of contact:

• Early 2020: Direct commercial flights stopped as India and China closed borders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Later in 2020: A deadly Himalayan border clash damaged relations and prolonged the suspension.
• 2024: The two countries reached a border disengagement understanding.
• July 2025: India resumed tourist visas for Chinese citizens.
• August 2025: Modi visited China and met Xi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
• Sunday night before October 28, 2025: IndiGo restarted Kolkata to Guangzhou flights with 176 passengers.
• November 9, 2025: China Eastern is scheduled to restart Shanghai to Delhi services.
• November 10, 2025: IndiGo plans to begin New Delhi to Guangzhou flights.

Soldiers also exchanged sweets at the border during Diwali, a symbolic gesture accompanying the diplomatic work. The exchange contrasted with the hostility that followed the 2020 clash, while negotiations continued on the practical arrangements needed to manage the frontier.

Which routes are returning?

IndiGo is operating the Kolkata to Guangzhou route with Airbus A320neo aircraft. The inaugural return flight departed Guangzhou shortly after dawn and arrived in Kolkata before breakfast. The timetable is designed to connect with groups of domestic flights in both countries, helping travelers continue beyond the two gateway cities.

The initial services and announced additions are:

• Kolkata to Guangzhou: Daily nonstop IndiGo service, using flight 6E 1703 outbound and flight 6E 1704 on the return journey. Flying time is about three and a half to four hours.
• New Delhi to Shanghai: China Eastern service beginning November 9, operating on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with onward connections across China.
• New Delhi to Guangzhou: IndiGo service scheduled to begin November 10, with frequency expected to grow as approvals and demand permit.

IndiGo says it intends to expand direct connections between major Indian and Chinese cities as clearances and passenger demand allow. The first routes restore access to important commercial centers while giving airlines a basis for judging how much additional capacity travelers need.

Passengers who previously transferred in Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong can now travel directly on the restored city pairs. Removing a connection saves the time spent waiting at another airport and can reduce the cost of reaching factories, trade fairs, universities or family members.

Why Guangzhou matters to businesses

Kolkata's textile, leather and jute exporters rely on suppliers and buyers in Guangdong, one of China's major manufacturing regions. Guangzhou gives them a direct entry point to that market, making trips for negotiations, factory visits and trade fairs easier to organize.

The restored link also cuts transit times for samples and spare parts, simplifies support after a sale and makes it easier to bring buyers to showrooms and factories. For micro, small and medium enterprises, often called MSMEs, being able to send a team to Guangzhou in one flight can affect whether they win an order.

Krishna Goyal, a businessman based in Kolkata who boarded the first flight, described the transfers that travelers had needed during the suspension.

Earlier, we had to change two or three flights.

IndiGo chief executive Pieter Elbers presented the route as a step supporting commerce and travel, while indicating that more city pairs were being considered.

We are excited to be the first Indian carrier to resume our daily nonstop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou, reinstating one of the most important air links between India and China. This strategic move will enhance bilateral ties, support MSMEs, and boost tourism, education, and healthcare in both countries.

Chinese companies operating in India also see practical benefits. A traveler working for an industrial equipment manufacturer described how direct journeys help engineers and managers move between plants, suppliers and customer sites without lengthy detours or missed connections. Business groups in Kolkata expect faster travel to support trade fairs and buyer delegations in both directions.

Chinese officials say India's exports to China rose strongly in the first half of the current fiscal year. Chinese exports to India have also increased this year. Direct flights make it easier for executives to inspect factories, negotiate contracts in person and move skilled staff to support projects.

For businesses using valuable components that must arrive close to the moment they are needed, hours saved in transit can help keep production moving. This approach, often called just in time delivery, depends on reliable timing rather than holding large stocks of every part.

Airport officials and passengers welcome the restart

At Kolkata airport, airline staff lit brass oil lamps as passengers checked in for the inaugural flight. Senior officials attended the reopening, marking a change for travelers who had spent years assembling journeys with several legs to reach workplaces, classrooms and commercial events.

Dr. Pravat Ranjan Beuria, director of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, welcomed the restored service and expressed an expectation that connections to more Chinese cities would follow.

It is very encouraging and a great moment that IndiGo has resumed a direct flight from NSCBI airport to China's Guangzhou and we are expecting more direct routes with other Chinese cities.

Qin Yong, China's deputy consul general in Kolkata, described a broader ambition for connections between major cities in the two countries.

The initial aim is to connect Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen with Delhi and Kolkata. We wish to build a sincere and closer partnership with India so that trade and commerce between the two countries grow stronger.

No launch dates were given for the additional connections involving Beijing or Shenzhen. The confirmed next steps remain the announced Shanghai to Delhi and New Delhi to Guangzhou services in November.

A traveler in the arrival hall described the immediate benefit in simple terms, reflecting the relief of passengers on the first flight.

The time taken to reach China will now reduce,

For passengers using the restored routes, travel times are returning to what they were before the pandemic. The benefit is especially direct for people whose journeys begin or end in Kolkata or Guangzhou, while domestic connections extend the service's reach.

A cautious opening amid US trade pressure

India and China are rebuilding contact while facing a difficult external trade environment. Washington has threatened steep tariffs on a broad range of imports. Tariffs are taxes charged on goods entering a country, which can make those goods more expensive and complicate decisions for exporters.

India is seeking to preserve access to the United States while pursuing its own industrial goals. China faces continuing friction over trade and technology. A meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump is planned to address their trade dispute.

Beijing and New Delhi both have reasons to keep that dispute from dominating their own agendas. Easier bilateral travel supports their commercial relationship at a time when businesses are also dealing with uncertainty in other markets.

India has maintained caution alongside renewed engagement. It continues to screen many Chinese investments and has kept the mobile app bans in place. New Delhi has also strengthened its work in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, with Japan, Australia and the United States.

Restoring direct flights fits this combination of practical cooperation and security precautions. The two governments are reopening communication and travel channels while continuing to manage the disagreements that made the interruption last so long.

Border security and visas still shape travel

The Himalayan frontier remains tense, with troops deployed at high altitude. The Line of Actual Control, the line separating areas controlled by the two sides, is not demarcated in several stretches. Without a clearly marked line in those areas, patrol arrangements and communication procedures are central to avoiding incidents.

Recent talks have addressed disengagement at friction points, better signaling about patrols and protocols for handling encounters. Negotiators have focused on reducing the risk of fresh incidents, maintaining dialogue and expanding cooperation where agreement is possible.

Beijing also agreed to share emergency hydrological data on the Yarlung Zangbo, known as the Brahmaputra in India and Bangladesh. Hydrological data describe river conditions, including information relevant to water levels and flows. Such information matters during the monsoon and when dam construction creates concern in countries downstream.

Visa procedures remain another practical concern. Business groups in both countries have asked for faster approvals, permits allowing several entries and clear criteria for visits. A direct flight is most useful when travelers can obtain the permission they need in time to use it.

India says it aims to make legitimate business and study travel easier, alongside the tourist visas for Chinese citizens restored in July. Chinese consular officials have called for easier arrangements for their travelers visiting India. Airlines will adjust capacity according to visa issuance and demand, making travel permissions part of the route network's recovery.

Students, families and pilgrims regain easier journeys

Indian students attending medical and language programs in China can now use the restored links with fewer transfers, reducing travel stress and costs. Chinese students returning to Indian campuses benefit from the same convenience, as do families traveling between the two countries.

Tourism operators in both countries report early interest in city breaks connected to the new services and longer trips combining several destinations. The reopening of visits to Mount Kailash adds another element to the recovery, allowing Indian pilgrims to return to a route interrupted after the border clash.

Airlines generally rebuild routes with modest schedules, assess demand across different seasons and then add frequencies or city pairs where traffic supports them. The daily Kolkata to Guangzhou service and China Eastern's planned three flights a week between Shanghai and Delhi provide the first anchors for that process.

The pace of expansion will depend on predictable rules, smoother visa processing and a security environment that lets passengers plan months ahead. For now, the restored departure boards offer a concrete change: business travelers, students and families once again have a direct option between India and mainland China.

Key Points

• IndiGo flight 6E 1703 carried 176 passengers from Kolkata to Guangzhou, restoring direct commercial flights after a pause lasting five years.
• The Kolkata to Guangzhou service operates daily on Airbus A320neo aircraft, with a flying time of about three and a half to four hours.
• China Eastern plans Shanghai to Delhi flights from November 9, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. IndiGo plans New Delhi to Guangzhou service from November 10.
• Flights stopped during the pandemic in early 2020 and stayed suspended after a border clash that killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers.
• Recent diplomatic steps include a border disengagement understanding, renewed senior dialogue, tourist visas for Chinese citizens and restored access for Indian pilgrims to Mount Kailash.
• Direct travel supports exporters, engineers, students, families and tourism by reducing transfers, journey times and costs.
• Border tensions, investment screening, app bans and visa procedures remain part of the relationship as airlines gradually rebuild capacity.