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Indian airline announces it will resume direct flights to China, with plans to restart services from Kolkata to Guangzhou starting October 26. The airline shared this update on October 3. Meanwhile, Air India has also expressed intentions to re-enter the Chinese market, though specific flight schedules have not been disclosed yet.
Chinese carriers are also preparing to restart routes. Air China plans to operate a flight from Beijing to New Delhi with a stopover in Chengdu, while China Eastern Airlines intends to fly from Shanghai to New Delhi via Kunming, based on recent reports.
The revival of flights between China and India has the potential to significantly change the Asian aviation sector. Many Indian travelers might now choose to transit through major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to reach destinations in Europe and the Americas, moving away from traditional hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore. Conversely, Chinese travelers heading to India often had to first travel through Hong Kong or Thailand.
Before travel restrictions were imposed in early 2020, four Chinese airlines and two Indian airlines operated flights connecting the two countries. The Guangzhou to New Delhi route was the most popular, accounting for 23% of the services, followed by Shanghai to New Delhi with 20%, and Kunming to Kolkata with 13%.
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