An IndiGo aircraft, part of India’s budget airline sector, is set to depart from Kolkata to Guangzhou on Sunday. This marks the first direct flight connecting India and China since 2020. Additionally, IndiGo will launch the route between Delhi and Guangzhou in early November.
“This will facilitate the exchange of people, goods, and ideas once again, and strengthen the ties between the two most populous countries and rapidly growing economies,” stated IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers in an interview with the Chinese state newspaper Global Times earlier this month. Elbers previously served as the CEO of KLM.
Prior to 2020, there were approximately seven daily flights operating between India and China. However, air traffic came to an abrupt halt five years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly thereafter, a deadly confrontation occurred in the border region of the Himalayas, leading both countries to suspend their mutual flight operations.
The 2020 confrontation resulted in the deaths of at least twenty Indian and four Chinese soldiers. While border tensions have persisted since the 1960s, the situation had not escalated to such a degree in decades. Furthermore, India finds it difficult to accept China’s military support for its arch-rival, Pakistan.
In 2024, India and China reached an agreement to restore border patrols to their pre-2020 status, accelerating the rapprochement between the two nations. This summer, Indian President Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years, where he met not only with President Xi Jinping but also with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“A situation has arisen where the United States is pressuring countries in the region, forcing them to come together,” remarked India analyst Rajeev Lachmipersad in an interview with NU.nl, referring to the dynamics involving China, India, and Russia. India is among the countries most affected by the import tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Chinese airlines are also set to resume their connections with India. On November 9, a flight from China Eastern Airlines will depart from Shanghai to Delhi.
