India and China are resuming direct flights after five years of suspension and say they will strengthen trade ties. Their relationship has long been defined by rivalry, competing ambitions and a disputed border. Now, India and China are resuming direct flights after a five-year suspension. United States President Donald Trump's tariffs and a shifting trade landscape could push them closer together.
Direct connections between India and China were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and never resumed until now. The announcement comes amid a thawing in relations between New Delhi and Beijing. Direct flights between the world's two most populous countries, India and China, are set to resume at the end of October for the first time in five years. India's leading airline IndiGo announced on Friday that it would be offering daily non-stop connections between Calcutta and Guangzhou from October 26.
India and China will resume direct flights after more than five years as two of the world's biggest economies seek to rebuild political ties at a time of rising global trade uncertainties. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement Thursday that air service with China can start by later this month "subject to commercial decision of the designated carriers from the two countries" and fulfillment of other operational criteria.
