On Thursday, India's Foreign Ministry said that direct flights between India and China, which were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, could resume in October, but did not specify a date.
"Following the recent diplomatic initiatives, IndiGo, India's preferred airline, today announced the resumption of its services to Mainland China connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou (CAN) with daily, non-stop flights starting 26 October 2025. Subject to regulatory approvals, IndiGo will also introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou shortly," the company said in a statement.
The company will use Airbus A320neo aircraft "to operate these flights that will re-establish avenues for cross-border trade and strategic business partnerships and promote tourism between the two nations."
Direct flights between India and China were suspended during the pandemic, forcing travelers to take routes through Singapore and Hong Kong. The cooling of relations between India and China also affected air traffic following a series of incidents in the Ladakh region in May 2020, when clashes broke out between Chinese and Indian troops near the Galwan River.
In late October 2024, New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement on the rules of patrolling along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The Indian agency Ani reported later, citing official military sources, that India and China had completed the withdrawal of troops from the region.