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Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Tianjin, China
| Photo Credit:
PMO via PTI Photo
Taking stock of the positive developments in the bilateral relations between India and China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that direct flights between the two countries are being started.
In his remarks during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, Prime Minister Modi said, “An atmosphere of peace and stability has been established after disengagement at the border… The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has resumed, and direct flights between the two countries are also being started.”
Notably, Prime Minister Modi was in China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
It was highly expected that an official announcement on the resumption of flights would be made during Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit to China.
Businessline was the first to report that flight services between India and China are likely to resume by early October or shortly thereafter.
The restart holds significance as it marks the revival of key international routes that had been suspended for nearly five years.
Earlier, both sides had agreed “in principle” to resume direct services, signalling a cautious thaw in bilateral ties.
Accordingly, India’s embassy in Beijing has also resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens after a gap of five years.
Last week, sources told businessline, that India had sent a high-level team of officials to China to smoothen out the last remaining hurdles to direct flight connectivity.
Speaking to businessline, industry sources had cited that an arrangement is being put in place to avoid waiting for a revised air services agreement.
According to sources, airport slots will be allocated to airlines under the arrangement, with “services capped at pre-2019 levels”.
Prior to the pandemic, airlines from both sides operated flights to many destinations, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Flight services resumed between India and Hong Kong sans mainland China.
Currently, there is no direct air connectivity between India and China, with flights suspended since early 2020 following the Covid-19 outbreak.
The situation worsened after military clashes in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh, and Indian carriers now only operate services to Hong Kong.
Nonetheless, with tensions easing, Chinese authorities held discussions with India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation to streamline procedures such as slot allocations, ground handling contracts and airfare regulations.
Meanwhile, industry insiders told businessline that reopening routes to China presented a significant opportunity to boost trade, tourism and business travel.
They noted that services to China historically recorded strong load factors, often reaching up to 90 per cent. The resumption of flights, they said, would also help plug revenue leaks to competing carriers and retain earnings within both countries.
Furthermore, they pointed out that demand for travel remains strong and could rebound quickly once direct services resume.
“The announcement by Prime Minister Modi on direct flights between two of the biggest economies of the world is a sign of an understanding for greater economic cooperation and expansion of people to people contact,” aviation industry veteran Mark Matin of Martin Consulting told businessline.
As per estimates, passenger traffic between India and China currently totals around one million with a one-stopover, but direct flights could potentially push that figure to three million, with a mix of tourists and business travellers.
“Direct flights between China and India will unlock the massive potential for growth in airline passenger travel, air cargo, tourism and trade between the two countries,” Mike Zhou, Managing Director at aviation consulting firm Wernosa told businessline from Shanghai, China.
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Published on August 31, 2025
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