7 hours ago
Last Updated:October 26, 2025, 13:55 IST
Direct flights between India and China resume after five years, with Kolkata to Guangzhou launching today and Shanghai to New Delhi starting November 9.
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Direct flights between India and China finally resume from today, after five years. China had earlier said the resumption of direct flights between the two countries is a positive step to boost people-to-people exchanges. The first flight between the two countries is scheduled to take off today at 10 pm.
The IndiGo flight between Kolkata-Guangzhou is scheduled to take off on October 26. Flights from Shanghai to New Delhi will resume from November 9. Meanwhile, IndiGo’s Delhi to Guangzhou flight will begin from November 10.
India had announced on October 2 that direct flights to China would resume from October 26. Marking the development, Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Yu Jing, took to X and posted, “Direct flights between China and India are now a reality. Kolkata → Guangzhou launches today. Shanghai ↔ New Delhi starts Nov 9, flying 3 times a week."
Direct flights between China and India are now a reality.✈️ Kolkata → Guangzhou launches today.
Shanghai ↔ New Delhi starts Nov 9, flying 3 times a week. pic.twitter.com/rxa0ag4jFd
— Yu Jing (@ChinaSpox_India) October 26, 2025
The flight services between the two sides were suspended following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They were not resumed in view of the over-four-year border face-off in eastern Ladakh.
After the ice-breaker meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced the resumption of direct flights.
In a media briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that it was the latest progress in implementing the understanding reached between the two countries.
“China is willing to work with India to view and handle China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and promote the continued healthy and stable development of bilateral relations," Jiakun said.
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First Published:
October 26, 2025, 13:55 IST
News india India-China Direct Flights To Resume Today After 5 Years; First Plane To Take-Off At 10 PM
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