InterGlobe Aviation shares gain 1% as IndiGo to resume Kolkata-Guangzhou flights

Direct flights between India and China will resume this month after more than four years.

The civil aviation ministry on Thursday said direct air services between India and China will resume by the end of October, following continuous technical-level engagement between civil aviation authorities as part of broader efforts to normalise bilateral ties.

Direct flights were operational between the two countries till early 2020 before being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Indian and Chinese carriers had direct services. The services remained suspended in view of the eastern Ladakh border row.

Following the recent diplomatic initiatives, IndiGo, in a statement on Thursday, said it will resume services to Mainland China, connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou (CAN) with daily, non-stop flights, starting October 26.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the airline will also introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou shortly. It will utilise Airbus A320neo aircraft to operate these services.

"We are delighted to announce the resumption of daily, nonstop flights between India and mainland China. We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India... With this very important step, we are looking at introducing more direct flights into China," IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said.

Apart from IndiGo, Air India also had flights from Delhi to Shanghai before the direct services between the two countries were suspended in early 2020.

In the statement, IndiGo said it had operated flights between India and China before the pandemic and has many of the necessary arrangements and processes already in place.

"The past experience and familiarity with local partners will enable IndiGo to resume these flights swiftly."

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said it has been agreed that direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October, subject to the commercial decision of the designated carriers from the two countries and fulfillment of all operational criteria.

Direct flights between India and China will "greatly enhance air connectivity, support people-to-people exchanges and contribute to the strengthening of economic collaboration between the two countries," the civil aviation ministry said in a post on X.