The civil aviation ministries of India and China have held an initial round of discussions regarding the resumption of direct air services between the two nations, news agency Reuters reported.
Though no specific dates have been set for the restart, sources aware of the developments on resumption of direct flights said they were hopeful in view of the thawing of relationship between the countries.
The two neighbours agreed in January — during the visit of Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri — to work on resolving trade and economic differences, in a move expected to boost their aviation sectors, particularly China’s, which has lagged other countries’ in rebounding from the Covid pandemic.
“The civil aviation ministry and our counterpart in China have had one round of meetings,” civil aviation secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said at a conference organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in New Delhi.
There were still some issues to resolve, he added, without going into the details.
The fact that things are moving in a positive direction became clear last month when Chinese Consul-General in Calcutta, Xu Wei, said that the two countries are in constant talks to resume direct flights. He also recalled the pre-Covid days when airlines from both sides operated flights — about 50 a week — between many destinations such as Beijing, Kunming, Shanghai and Guangzhou from Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta.
There has been no direct air connectivity between India and China since early 2020 following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The situation deteriorated after military clashes erupted between the two neighbours in the Galwan Valley of the Ladakh region.
India imposed restrictions on Chinese companies investing in the country, banned hundreds of popular apps and cut passenger routes, although direct cargo flights continued.
Relations have improved to some extent since an agreement in October to ease a military standoff on the mountainous border, the same month that President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks in Russia.
“It’s high time for the flight connections to resume... A resumption of direct air connectivity between the two economic powerhouses will be a win-win for both the countries,” Ishani Naskar, professor of international relations and a China expert, told The Telegraph.
Amid the growing tension between the US and China over tariffs, Beijing — which is keen on Indian markets — has been trying to send positive signals to New Delhi for some time.
The Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, recently said that over 85,000 visas have been issued to Indian citizens till April 9, 2025, following latest visa relaxations.
“We welcome more Indian friends to visit China, experience an open, safe, vibrant, sincere and friendly China,” said Feihong in a post on X.