India-China Direct Flight Resumes After Five Years, First Indigo Flight Departs from Kolkata to Guangzhou

Direct air service between India and China has been restored after five years. An IndiGo flight from Kolkata took off non-stop for Guangzhou, China. Read the full story...

India-China Direct Flight: Direct flight services between India and China resumed on Sunday after a five-year hiatus. An IndiGo Airlines flight made a non-stop journey between Kolkata and Guangzhou. This is the first direct flight between India and China since 2020. The Airport Authority stated that this is the first flight from an Indian city to China since 2020. Direct flight services between India and China had been suspended for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and border tensions. Now, a spokesperson for IndiGo Airlines has said that this flight will operate daily.

Chinese Consul Calls it a Big Day

On this occasion, Qin Yong, China's Deputy Consul General, said that this is a big day for both countries. He stated, "This is a significant improvement in bilateral relations after five years, which we have been waiting for a long time." He described the decision to start the flight as the first positive outcome of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He added that bilateral relations with India are extremely important for the Chinese side. In recent years, leaders of both countries have shown consensus on many issues. The resumption of direct flight services is the first result of these agreements.

Direct Flight Service Between Kolkata and Guangzhou

IndiGo had announced a few days ago that non-stop daily flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou would commence from October 26. IndiGo's Airbus A320neo aircraft has been deployed on this route. The company said that these flights will give new direction to tourism, trade, and strategic partnerships between India and China. According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, IndiGo flight 6E 1703 departed from Kolkata Airport at 10:06 PM on Sunday and arrived in Guangzhou at 4:05 AM (local time in China).

What Passengers Said

Passenger Liu, who travelled on this flight, said, "I am going to visit some of my relatives in China. Before COVID, I used to travel frequently between Kolkata and China. Now that direct connectivity is back, I want to resume regular travel."

Arjun Gupta, a businessman who runs a restaurant and electronics unit in China, said that the commencement of direct flight services will save time and money. He added, "For the last five years, we had to travel via Delhi and Bangkok to reach China."

Direct Flights to Also Resume from Delhi Soon

In addition to Kolkata, direct flights from New Delhi to China will also commence soon. IndiGo has announced that direct flight services between Delhi and Guangzhou will start from November 10, 2025. Meanwhile, China's largest airline, China Eastern Airlines, will also resume its direct flights between Delhi and Shanghai from November 9, 2025.

Why Flights Were Suspended

Direct flights between India and China were suspended in 2020 following the Galwan Valley clash and the COVID-19 pandemic. This made business travel impossible and hindered tourist movement. Following the recent meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping, the ice in the relations between the two countries appears to be thawing.