On October 26, the first commercial direct flight between India and China took off, marking the resumption of the route after 5 years of suspension. This is considered an important step for trade and a symbolic signal showing that the two Asian giants are cautiously healing the relationship.
India's largest commercial airline, indiGo, has operated its first daily flight to mainland China, departing from Kolkata to Guangzhou. Additional flights from New Delhi to Shanghai and Guangzhou will also start in November.
The two neighbors - also the two most populous countries in the world - are still strategic competitors to influence the region. The Indian government said the resumption of flights would promote people-to-people exchanges and support the normalization of bilateral exchanges.
The warming in relations with China comes as India's relations with its important trading partner, the US, are struggling, after US President Donald Trump imposed a sanctioned 50% tariff on Indian goods. Trump's assistants have also accused India of "assisting" the Russian conflict in Ukraine by buying Russian oil.
The resumption of the route is expected to bring significant economic benefits. Mr. Rajeev Singh, head of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, said that direct air linkage will reduce logistics and transportation time, benefiting businesses. India has a significant trade deficit with China and is heavily dependent on Chinese raw materials.
India-China relations have seen new developments after high-level meetings between the two leaders in Russia in 2024 and in China in August 2025. Notably, bilateral trade is recovering strongly, as shown by the fact that India's imports from China in September skyrocketed by more than 16% compared to the same period last year.
Direct flights between the two countries have been suspended since the COVID-19 era, but relations have really plummeted after the border clash in 2020. After the event, India took strong response, including restricting investment, banning Chinese apps, including TikTok, and tightening relations with the US-led Fourthment Group.
Although there have been some recent acts of goodwill such as the exchange of gifts between soldiers of both sides, analysts believe that maintaining a long-term relationship with China is still a long-term challenge for India.
