India and China will restart direct flights this month, ending a five-year suspension that began during the Covid-19 pandemic and was prolonged by border tensions between the two Asian giants. Bookings opened on Friday.
Flights between the two most populous nations were halted in 2020 and remained suspended as relations soured following deadly border clashes in the Himalayas. But ties have begun to improve, with leaders of both countries meeting last month for the first time in seven years.
Following technical negotiations, an Indian government statement on Thursday confirmed that “it has now been agreed that direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October.”
The statement added, “This agreement of the civil aviation authorities will further facilitate people-to-people contact between India and China, contributing towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges.”
Indigo, India’s largest airline, announced it will launch daily direct flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou starting October 26, with plans to expand services to New Delhi. Bookings went live Friday. The carrier said the flights would “re-establish avenues for cross-border trade and strategic business partnerships and promote tourism between the two nations.”
The resumption follows an August pledge by both countries to revive direct flights, boost trade, and advance talks on their disputed border.
Relations collapsed in 2020 when soldiers clashed in the Himalayas, leaving 20 Indian troops and four Chinese soldiers dead in the worst violence between the rivals in decades. However, in June, Beijing allowed Indian pilgrims to return to Tibet’s Mount Kailash, a holy site for Hindus and Buddhists, marking a symbolic step toward reconciliation.
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