India and China to resume direct flights after five-year freeze

HONG KONG (GWN) -China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport confirmed on Friday that direct flights between India and China will resume later this month, ending a halt of more than 5 years and signalling a cautious easing of bilateral tensions.

There have been no direct flights between China and India since 2020, even though China is India’s greatest bilateral commerce companion.

India’s international ministry earlier announced the transfer on Thursday, adopted by a assertion from India’s largest provider IndiGo that it could start daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou on October 26.

In a assertion on Friday evening, the state-backed Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport famous the IndiGo announcement – the first remark on the transfer by Chinese authorities.

“In the future, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport will also actively promote airlines to open direct routes such as Guangzhou and Delhi,” the assertion said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China a month in the past for the first time in seven years to attend a assembly of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation regional security bloc.

Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that India and China have been development companions, not rivals, and mentioned methods to strengthen commerce ties amid global tariff uncertainty.

Modi also conveyed India’s dedication to enhancing ties and raised issues about its widening commerce deficit with China, which stands at practically $99.2 billion.

He emphasised the significance of sustaining peace and stability along their disputed border, where a conflict in 2020 triggered a five-year army standoff.

(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey, Abhijith Ganapavaram and Yazhini MV; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by Susan Fenton, Kevin Liffey, William Maclean)