When will India, China resume direct flights? IndiGo CEO says ‘when both countries…’

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Wednesday stated that the airline is ready to resume direct flights between India and China.

This comes a day after PTI reported that the two countries are in an advanced stage of talks to restart direct air connectivity soon. Elbers noted that IndiGo operated daily flights on India-China routes before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The airline stands ready to resume these services as soon as bilateral arrangements between the two countries allow,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Also Read: ‘ ₹1.5 lakh compensation’: IndiGo held guilty for providing woman with ‘unhygienic, stained’ seat in Baku-Delhi flight

Elbers also said that guided by its entrepreneurial spirit, the airline remains committed to identifying and pursuing commercially viable opportunities. IndiGo was operating daily flights from Delhi to Chengdu till February 6, 2020, and from Kolkata to Guangzhou till February 1, 2020.

When will flights be resumed?

“IndiGo operated daily flights between India and China prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline stands ready to resume these services as soon as bilateral arrangements between the two countries allow,” IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers told NDTV Profit in an emailed statement.

Air India also had flights from Delhi to Shanghai, and those were also suspended in early 2020.

On January 27 this year, India and China in principle agreed to resume direct air services between the two countries as part of certain people-centric steps to “stabilise and rebuild” the bilateral ties.

Diplomatic and economic ties between India and China deteriorated following the Galwan Valley clash in 2020 between their armed forces. Relations remained tense for nearly four years, until October 2024, when both countries reached an agreement on patrolling protocols along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

India and China had initially agreed in January to resume direct flights. However, the plan stalled after relations cooled again amid India’s limited conflict with Pakistan.

The airline stands ready to resume these services as soon as bilateral arrangements between the two countries allow.

The two sides revisited the proposal in June, announcing intentions to restart air connectivity, though no concrete progress was made at the time.

(With inputs from agencies)