New Delhi: After a gap of five years, India and China are set to resume direct flight services by the end of this month, marking a significant step in restoring bilateral ties strained by the border standoff in eastern Ladakh. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made the announcement a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China.
Flight operations between the two countries were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and remained halted amid the over four-year border tensions in eastern Ladakh, which concluded in October last year.
“Since earlier this year, in line with the government’s gradual approach to normalising India-China relations, civil aviation authorities from both countries have been engaged in technical-level discussions to resume direct air services and review the existing air services agreement,” the MEA said.
It added that direct flights connecting designated cities in India and China are expected to resume by late October, aligned with the winter schedule, subject to commercial decisions by the respective airlines and compliance with operational requirements.
“This agreement between the civil aviation authorities will further enhance people-to-people contacts, contributing to the gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges,” the MEA said in a statement.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in a social media post, confirmed the resumption of flights by the end of October, noting that “continuous technical-level engagement between civil aviation authorities has been a key part of broader efforts to normalise bilateral ties.” The ministry added that the move will strengthen air connectivity, boost people-to-people exchanges, and support economic collaboration between the two countries.
During his meeting with President Xi on August 31, PM Modi had highlighted that direct flights between the two nations were being reinstated.
India-China relations had reached their lowest point since the 1962 war following the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. Subsequent diplomatic and military talks led to troop withdrawals from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
In October last year, the two sides finalised a disengagement agreement for Depsang and Demchok, the last remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. Shortly after, PM Modi and President Xi met in Kazan, Russia, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, taking steps to improve bilateral relations.
In recent months, measures to repair ties have included initiatives such as the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
