{"id":66574,"date":"2025-10-05T11:36:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T06:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=66574"},"modified":"2025-10-06T11:47:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T06:17:18","slug":"india-china-flights-resume-after-5-years-what-it-means-for-airlines-and-travellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/india-china-flights-resume-after-5-years-what-it-means-for-airlines-and-travellers\/","title":{"rendered":"India-China Flights Resume After 5 Years: What It Means for Airlines and Travellers"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>India-China Flights Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After more than five years, India and mainland China are set to restart direct flights by the end of October 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry of External Affairs announced that both nations have agreed to resume air services under the upcoming winter schedule, which begins on October 26.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The resumption will depend on the commercial readiness of designated airlines and compliance with operational requirements, marking a key step toward restoring normal connectivity disrupted since 2020.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India-China Flights Set for Revival Amid Diplomatic Thaw<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The resumption of direct air connectivity between India and China comes amid improving bilateral ties, even as India\u2019s relations with the US face minor strains.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the MEA\u2019s announcement, IndiGo became the first airline to confirm operations, with daily Kolkata\u2013Guangzhou flights starting October 26.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The carrier also plans future routes from Delhi, while Air India is preparing to launch Delhi\u2013Shanghai flights by year-end.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chinese airlines, which dominated the route before the pandemic, are expected to re-enter the Indian market soon.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The absence of direct flights since 2020 has led to inflated airfares and long travel times, as passengers relied on transit hubs in Southeast Asia.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With direct routes returning, airlines anticipate strong demand \u2014 especially from business and trade travelers \u2014 and expect to regain significant passenger traffic previously diverted to foreign carriers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India-China Direct Flights: From Suspension to Resumption<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Direct air connectivity between India and China was <\/span><b>suspended at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which halted international travel worldwide.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, while other countries gradually restored air routes, flights between India and China remained grounded due to deteriorating bilateral ties following the <\/span><b>2020 Line of Actual Control (LAC) standoff<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s reluctance to resume direct services stemmed from ongoing border tensions and diplomatic friction, even as China consistently pressed for their reinstatement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Early Signs of Thaw and Diplomatic Engagements<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With bilateral relations showing signs of improvement in 2024\u201325, the two sides began to explore ways to normalise travel.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first major breakthrough came during Foreign Secretary\u2019s visit to Beijing in January 2025, where both nations agreed \u201cin principle\u201d to resume direct flights.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This momentum continued in August, when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi\u2019s visit to New Delhi led to an agreement to restart air services \u201cat the earliest\u201d and ease visa procedures for tourists, businesspersons, journalists, and other travellers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Ongoing Negotiations Through 2024<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout 2024, the issue of flight resumption featured in multiple rounds of discussions between Indian and Chinese foreign and aviation officials.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite limited progress, both sides continued engagement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Final Diplomatic Push in Late 2024<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Momentum built toward the end of 2024, when External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Wang Yi met in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their discussions followed a key breakthrough \u2014 a border patrolling arrangement, signalling de-escalation along the LAC.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soon after, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met at the BRICS Summit in Russia, effectively paving the way for direct flight resumption \u2014 a symbolic and practical step toward normalising India-China ties.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Direct Flights to Boost Connectivity and Competition<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Indian and Chinese airlines are poised to benefit significantly from the resumption of direct air connectivity between the two countries after a five-year hiatus.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the pandemic, direct flights accounted for over 45% of all India-China passenger traffic \u2014 a market both sides now aim to reclaim and expand.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The suspension of direct routes, combined with strict visa norms, had forced passengers to rely on connecting flights through hubs in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result, airlines from these regions captured the market, with <\/span><b>Hong Kong remaining the top transit point<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to its separate visa regime.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, India-China passenger traffic stands at less than half of 2019 levels, but demand remains robust, especially for business and trade-related travel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the return of direct flights, passengers will benefit from greater convenience, reduced travel time, and lower fares as competition intensifies among Indian, Chinese, and third-country carriers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The renewed connectivity is expected to not only revitalise air travel but also strengthen bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Chinese Airlines Held Majority of Pre-Pandemic India-China Traffic<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the Covid-19 pandemic, <\/span><b>Chinese carriers dominated direct air traffic between India and China, operating nearly 70% of the total flights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beijing\u2019s strong push for resuming direct air connectivity and easing visa restrictions stems from this pre-existing advantage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, industry analysts believe the balance may shift once flights resume.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s aviation landscape has evolved \u2014 Air India, now privatised and financially stronger, is aggressively expanding its international footprint, and IndiGo is prioritising global routes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This could enable Indian airlines to reclaim a larger share of the India-China travel market.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b><strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-economics\/india-china-flight-resumption-impact-airlines-tourism-10285240\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India and China to resume direct flights after five years. Explore the impact on airlines, travellers, and diplomatic ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":66709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3068,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-66574","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-india-china-flights","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}