IndiGo to resume Kolkata-Guangzhou flights from 26 Oct

Direct flights between India and China will resume this month after more than four years, with IndiGo set to restart services connecting Kolkata and Guangzhou from 26 October.

The civil aviation ministry on Thursday said direct air services between India and China will resume by the end of October, following continuous technical-level engagement between civil aviation authorities as part of broader efforts to 'normalise' bilateral ties.

Direct flights were operational between the two countries until early 2020 before being suspended owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Indian and Chinese carriers had direct services, which remained suspended in view of the eastern Ladakh border clashes.

Following the recent diplomatic initiatives, IndiGo, in a statement on Thursday, said it will resume services to Mainland China, connecting Kolkata to Guangzhou (CAN) with daily, non-stop flights, starting 26 October.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the airline will also introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou shortly. It will utilise Airbus A320 neo aircraft to operate these services.

"We are delighted to announce the resumption of daily, non-stop flights between India and mainland China. We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India... With this very important step, we are looking at introducing more direct flights into China," IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said.

Apart from IndiGo, Air India also had flights from Delhi to Shanghai before the direct services between the two countries were suspended in early 2020. A source said Air India plans to resume flights to China by the end of this year, though there was no immediate statement from Air India.

In the statement, IndiGo said it had operated flights between India and China before the pandemic and has many of the necessary arrangements and processes already in place. "The past experience and familiarity with local partners will enable IndiGo to resume these flights swiftly."

The ministry of external affairs on Thursday said it has been agreed that direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October, subject to the commercial decision of the designated carriers from the two countries and fulfilment of all operational criteria.

Direct flights between India and China will "greatly enhance air connectivity, support people-to-people exchanges and contribute to the strengthening of economic collaboration between the two countries", the civil aviation ministry said in a post on X.