Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart In a development closely watched by governments, industry and frequent travellers alike, India and China are poised to resume direct commercial flights in late October 2025, ending a suspension of over five years. The decision reflects a cautious warming in ties between the two Asian powers, and it carries significance for diplomacy, trade, tourism and people-to-people connections.
Historical background: Why flights were suspended
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart
Direct air services between India and China were halted in early 2020, officially because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruptions to international travel. However, the suspension extended far beyond pandemic constraints, largely because bilateral relations between New Delhi and Beijing deteriorated following a deadly border clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020. In that incident, 20 Indian soldiers and 4 Chinese soldiers lost their lives, triggering one of the worst flare-ups in decades along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The security tensions that followed the clash led both countries to shelve high-level engagements, including civil aviation agreements, and curtail people-to-people exchanges.
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart Because there were no direct flights, travellers whether business professionals, students, tourists or families were forced to route via third-country hubs (such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok or others), which increased travel times, costs and inconvenience. Indian airlines lost traffic, and intermediate hubs benefitted from the diversion of passenger flows. As geopolitical tensions became entrenched, restoring direct connectivity became politically and operationally difficult.
The decision to resume: signals and conditions
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart
The renewed decision to reinstate direct services is part of a broader diplomatic push toward normalization. In recent months, Indian and Chinese officials have engaged in technical-level discussions, and the Civil Aviation Authorities of both countries have negotiated over a revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) to facilitate the revival of routes. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that direct air services connecting “designated points” in both countries can resume “by late October 2025,” subject to decisions by commercial carriers and the fulfilment of operational requirements including regulatory approvals, slot allocations, security clearances, ground handling arrangements, and compliance with safety norms.
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart From the Indian side, the airline IndiGo has already taken the lead, announcing that it will resume daily, non-stop flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou, beginning on October 26, 2025. IndiGo also plans, pending regulatory approvals, to launch a Delhi Guangzhou route subsequently. Other Indian carriers (such as Air India) are expected to rejoin gradually, depending on reciprocal Chinese services and internal commercial viability. From the Chinese side, analogous designations of approved routes and carriers will be needed. In effect, the resumption is a joint, phased process.
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart This restoration is framed not simply as an aviation measure, but as a restoration of “people-to-people contact,” which has long been a sensitive dimension in India-China relations. In particular, the service revival comes on the heels of other gestures: India recently resumed issuing tourist visas for Chinese nationals after a five-year suspension. The timing also followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in September 2025 the first in seven years for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, during which dialogue with Chinese leadership emphasized cooperation over confrontation.
Implications and challenges
Economic and trade impact
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart Restoring direct air connectivity can help reduce the cost and transit time for businesses trading between the two countries. As China is among India’s largest trading partners, more seamless movement of delegations, executives and goods (particularly those associated with time-sensitive industries) can boost trade efficiency. It may also stimulate ancillary sectors such as logistics, aviation services, tourism and hospitality.
Tourism, education and cultural exchange
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart A revival of direct flights will ease travel for Indian students studying in Chinese universities, as well as Chinese tourists visiting India. Shorter and cheaper air routes could broaden participation in cultural exchange, conferences, academic collaboration, medical travel, pilgrimages and family visits. Moreover, simpler connectivity helps reduce dependency on third-country hubs, thereby lowering the friction associated with visa layovers, transit rules, and logistical uncertainties.
Diplomacy and strategic signaling
Symbolically, the move sends a message that despite lingering border disputes, both nations are willing to take practical steps toward rapprochement. The resumption is unlikely to resolve deeper strategic distrust, but it acts as a confidence-building measure. In the context of regional strategic realignments, this step may also be viewed vis-à-vis external actors, sending signals about India and China’s capacity to pursue independent diplomacy on issues of mutual interest.
Yet, significant challenges remain. Operational hurdles such as securing airport slots, ensuring airspace coordination, customs and immigration procedures, ground handling infrastructure, and security screening must be ironed out. Regulatory complexities and mutual confidence in airline safety standards will need reconciliation. Also, demand sensitivity will matter: carriers must assess route viability and passenger load potential in a phased manner.
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart Another potential constraint is that the revival may initially be limited to a few city pairs (designated points), rather than a full restoration of all erstwhile routes. The urgency of commercial decisions, cost structures (fuel, landing, handling) and reciprocal arrangements by Chinese carriers could slow down the scaling up of services. Moreover, persistent geopolitical tensions border frictions, security concerns, cross-border incidents retain the capacity to derail full normalization.
Outlook
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart As of October 2025, India and China appear committed to re-establishing direct air connectivity in a deliberately gradual way. The launch of the Kolkata–Guangzhou route by IndiGo on October 26 provides a tangible starting point, and further segments will depend on mutual approvals, commercial viability and reciprocal routes. Over time, if successful, the move may restore connectivity closer to pre-suspension levels (circa 2019–2020) across multiple city pairs.
While reinstating flights does not erase deeper strategic disagreements, it establishes an operational channel for sustained dialogue, exchange and economic engagement. If both countries exercise care, the restored air bridge could reinforce the notion that mutual interests, not just rivalry, can guide selective cooperation.
Epic 5 Year Strained Ind China Flights Restart In sum, after five years of stalled skies, the October 2025 resumption of India-China direct flights holds the promise of reconnecting two populous neighbours. It is a modest but meaningful step toward rebuilding trust, facilitating mobility, and re-linking communities that have been separated by circumstance, not desire.