After a gap of five years, direct flights between India and China are set to resume, marking a significant step toward strengthening trade, tourism, and diplomatic relations between the two Asian giants. An IndiGo flight will depart from Kolkata for Guangzhou, China, at 10 pm on Sunday, reopening a long-awaited air route between the two nations. While regular flights have continued between India and Hong Kong, direct connections to mainland China were suspended following the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. The remaining routes — from New Delhi to Shanghai and Guangzhou — are expected to begin operating in November.
“Direct air connectivity will reduce both transportation costs and time,” said Rajiv Singh, Head of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, adding, “This step will greatly benefit trade and investment between the two largest populated countries in the world.”
The decision follows the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin earlier this year. On October 2, India’s Ministry of External Affairs officially confirmed the resumption of direct flights.
“The revival of these routes will help normalise India-China exchanges and boost people-to-people contact, fostering cooperation in business, tourism, and education,” said an official of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Interestingly, this development comes at a time when India’s relations with the United States are facing turbulence. US President Donald Trump recently imposed a 50 per cent tariff on India for purchasing oil from Russia, creating uncertainty around Indian exports to the US Amid this strained environment, India’s renewed engagement with China signals a shift in regional dynamics.
“The launch of the Kolkata–Guangzhou flight also revives a historic connection between the two regions. Kolkata has had ties with the Chinese community since the British colonial era, when many Chinese immigrants settled in the city and contributed to its unique cultural fabric,” said the MEA official.
Today, Kolkata’s Tangra — famously known as Chinatown — remains a symbol of that legacy.
“This is great news for people like us Many of our relatives live in China. Direct flights will not only bring families closer but also strengthen trade and tourism between both countries,” said Chen Khoi Kui, a social worker from Tangra.
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