Diplomatic Reboot? India And China Set To Resume Direct Flights After 5-Year Break

New Delhi: India and China are set to resume direct flights between the two nations as early as next month, eventually marking the end of a five-year gap in direct air connectivity.  The decision to resume flights came after a meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, where they agreed to expedite the resumption of direct air services and strengthen bilateral relations. The experts believed the move was a major step towards rebuilding bilateral ties between the two countries, signalling a warming of ties which have been strained in recent years.

The resumption of direct flights is expected to boost travel, tourism, and trade between the two countries, which have been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic. According to reports, Indian airlines like Air India and IndiGo have been instructed to prepare for flights to China at short notice, with an official announcement possible during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit later this month.

The rebooting of the India-China relationship is seen as a positive step towards rebuilding bilateral ties, which have been strained since the 2020 border clashes in Ladakh. The SCO summit, scheduled for August 28, may provide an opportunity for PM Modi to hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, further solidifying the thaw in relations.

China's Support For India

According to sources, the decision to resume direct flights will likely be announced officially during the SCO Summit, which is scheduled to be held at the end of August in China. The latest development also comes at a crucial time, when the trade tensions are escalating with the US amid high Donald Trump tariffs and sanctions over the purchase of Russian oil, measures that India has called unjust and vowed to resist in defence of its national interests.

Earlier, in a show of support for India, China came out strongly against the 50% US tariffs, saying that India's sovereignty is non-negotiable and its foreign policy choices cannot be manipulated by other countries, no matter how significant their own ties with India are. The Chinese Embassy in India also shared an illustration showing an elephant, representing India, and a baseball bat, representing the US tariff.

Air India's Recent Decision

Interestingly, just a day earlier, Air India announced the suspension of non-stop flights from Delhi to Washington from September 1, citing a combination of reasons. The airline stressed that the decision has been taken to ensure the integrity of the airline, and that it is also linked to a planned shortage of aircraft as it retrofits 26 Boeing 787-8 planes.

Meanwhile, the resumption of direct flights between India and China is expected to benefit travellers, boost tourism and trade, and make cross-border exchanges more accessible and efficient. With direct flights, travellers will no longer have to take indirect routes via Hong Kong or Singapore, which will reduce travel time and costs.