India and China resume direct flights amid warming ties
Direct flights between India and China have resumed, signaling a thaw in relations after years of tensions.
On Monday, IndiGo flight 6E 1703 from Kolkata landed in Guangzhou, carrying around 180 passengers. Flight services were suspended in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and further delayed following a deadly border clash in the Himalayas, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
The resumption follows a series of diplomatic steps: last year, both countries agreed on border patrols, and visa services for Chinese tourists to India restarted in July. In August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years, meeting President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Passengers welcomed the new route, noting it would cut travel time and boost trade and people-to-people exchanges. At Kolkata airport, airline staff lit brass oil lamps to celebrate the historic first flight.
Looking ahead, China Eastern Airlines will launch a Shanghai–Delhi route starting November 9, flying three times weekly.
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