India–China Direct Flights Set to Resume After Five-Year Suspension

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1324 EAT on Friday 3 October 2025

India and China are set to resume direct flights between select cities this month, ending a five-year suspension, Indian authorities have announced. The move signals a gradual thaw in relations between the two Asian powers.

The renewed engagement comes amid shifting global dynamics and rising trade tensions with the United States, particularly under the administration of former President Donald Trump, whose aggressive trade policies had strained relations with both countries.

Direct flights between India and China are set to resume later this month, ending a five-year suspension that began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The hiatus was prolonged due to heightened border tensions between the two countries.

On Thursday, India’s embassy in China announced via a post on the Chinese social media platform WeChat that flights between designated cities would restart by late October, subject to the schedules and decisions of commercial airlines.

The embassy noted that the move is part of the Indian government’s “approach towards the gradual normalization of relations between India and China.”

India’s largest airline, IndiGo, also confirmed on Thursday that it will resume service between Kolkata and Guangzhou starting October 26, marking the first direct commercial route to reopen since the suspension.

The decision to restore air connectivity follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to China — his first in seven years — to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, a regional security forum.

During the summit, Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that India and China should be viewed as development partners rather than rivals, and discussed ways to enhance bilateral trade amid growing global economic uncertainty.

The renewed cooperation comes against the backdrop of increasing global trade tensions, particularly with the United States. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50 percent, citing India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. He also called on the European Union to impose 100 percent tariffs on both China and India as part of broader efforts to pressure Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.

Relations between China and India sharply deteriorated in 2020 following deadly clashes between their security forces along the disputed Himalayan border. According to Al Jazeera, the confrontation resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops, marking the worst border violence between the two nations in decades. The incident led to a freeze in high-level diplomatic engagements and significantly strained bilateral ties.

Invest or Donate towards HICGI New Agency Global Media Establishment – Watch video here