After more than five years of suspended air links, India and China are preparing to restore direct passenger flights from late October 2025. The move, announced after a series of technical-level discussions and diplomatic engagements between the two governments, marks a significant thaw in aviation and people-to-people connectivity between the two most populous countries and neighbours. The whole thing took slightly longer because the earlier timeline was September 2025 for the resumption.
India and China will resume flights in late October 2025
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that flights would resume by the end of October, following an agreement between civil aviation authorities. This comes at a time when both governments have been signalling interest in reopening channels of trade, tourism, and dialogue, even while broader political issues remain complex.
India and China will resume direct air services by the end of October 2025, aligning with the winter schedule.
This follows continuous technical-level engagement between civil aviation authorities as part of broader efforts to normalize bilateral ties.
The move will greatly…
— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) October 2, 2025
IndiGo Takes the Lead
IndiGo has emerged as the first Indian carrier to announce its return to Mainland China formally. Beginning October 26, 2025, the airline will resume its daily non-stop service between Kolkata and Guangzhou using its Airbus A320neo fleet. Additionally, subject to regulatory clearance, IndiGo plans to launch direct flights from Delhi to Guangzhou soon after. Flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou will go on sale today (October 3, 2025).
The announcement makes IndiGo the first Indian airline to operate to China after 2020, re-establishing a vital link for business travellers, traders, and students who form a large share of the traffic between the two nations. IndiGo had operated flights to China before the pandemic, which allows it to draw on existing partnerships and operational experience to quickly ramp up service.
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, highlighted the significance of this step:
We are delighted to announce the resumption of daily, non-stop flights between India and mainland China. We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India. This will once again allow seamless movement of people, goods, and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between the two of the world’s most populous countries and fast-growing economies. With this very important step, we are looking at introducing more direct flights into China. As we take steady strides towards becoming a global aviation player, this is a significant move to strengthen our international network
Air India’s Turn?
While IndiGo has made the first move, attention now turns to Air India. The carrier, under Tata Group ownership, has been aggressively rebuilding its international network, with a focus on North America, Europe, and Australia, as new wide-body aircraft join the fleet. Air India last operated services to Shanghai before the pandemic, and subsequent geopolitical tensions led to the shutdown of operations.
With the restoration of bilateral air services, Air India is expected to explore a return to key Chinese gateways such as Shanghai, particularly given the demand from corporate travellers and the Indian diaspora working in multinational companies with a footprint in China. However, Air India has not yet announced concrete plans, choosing instead to monitor regulatory developments and market demand.
A Look Back: India–China Air Links Before 2020
Direct flights between India and China have historically fluctuated, reflecting both demand and diplomatic currents.
- Air India maintained a regular presence on routes such as Delhi–Shanghai and Delhi–Hong Kong. Hong Kong, in particular, was one of its stronger Asian markets, with onward connections for business and leisure travel.
- Jet Airways, before its collapse in 2019, had also operated flights to Hong Kong and was evaluating options for Mainland China. It had flights into Shanghai, which used to continue to San Francisco. These flights were not successful and were eventually cancelled.
- On the Chinese side, China Eastern, China Southern, and Air China connected Delhi and Mumbai with hubs like Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. These services tapped into a steady stream of business travellers, traders, and students heading in both directions.
- Traffic was not always balanced—China-originating demand, particularly from manufacturing hubs, often outweighed India-originating traffic. Still, the routes were seen as strategically important, especially with the expansion of India–China trade in the 2010s.
The pandemic and the subsequent political tensions brought this traffic to a standstill. By 2020, all direct services had ceased, pushing travellers to rely on third-country hubs such as Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, or Hong Kong to bridge the gap. This added hours of travel time and raised costs, at a time when demand from students and businesses remained latent.
Significance of the Restart
The return of direct air services is more than just a commercial development; it is a significant milestone. For the two economies—the world’s second and fourth largest—direct flights are vital to facilitating trade, technology partnerships, educational exchanges, and tourism. Until now, travellers between India and China had to rely on circuitous routings, often making journeys that should take six hours to 10 or more.
The reopening of flights is also likely to bring back some competitive fare options to the market. Business and student travellers, who form a significant proportion of the India–China segment, will particularly benefit from the reduced travel time and greater reliability that comes with non-stop operations. Additionally, Chinese carriers have typically been the source of affordable flights to the US, which may return now.
What to Expect Next
As schedules are filed and regulatory approvals roll in, more carriers—both Indian and Chinese—are expected to announce their plans in the weeks ahead. Chinese airlines, such as China Southern and Air China, previously maintained a significant presence in Delhi and Mumbai and could potentially return to the market.
For now, IndiGo’s Delhi–Guangzhou and Kolkata–Guangzhou routes are set to become the first tangible signs of renewed connectivity. Air India’s eventual response, combined with reciprocal services from Chinese carriers, will determine how quickly the air bridge between India and China returns to its pre-pandemic levels.
The coming months will reveal whether this is a cautious reopening or the beginning of a broader normalisation in aviation ties. Either way, the skies between India and China are finally reopening after half a decade of closure—an essential development for travellers and businesses alike.
Bottomline
India and China’s air links are finally set to resume. The date is October 26, 2025, and IndiGo will mark the resumption with the start of flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou. Next up, flights between Delhi and Guangzhou are expected to be restarted by IndiGo itself. Air India might also resume flights to Shanghai, which it previously operated before the pandemic. Several Chinese carriers are also in the process of restarting flights, with more updates expected soon.
What do you think will be the demand on the India-China route when the flights restart?
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