China and India Resume Direct Flights After 5 Years; This Was the Most Popular Route Pre-Pandemic

According to the latest announcement from the Indian Embassy in China, China and India have reached a consensus to resume direct flight routes connecting designated points of call between the two countries by the end of October 2025. The specific implementation is subject to the commercial decisions of the designated airlines from both countries and must meet all operational standards.

Among them, China Eastern Airlines has the largest share of flights at 24.2%, primarily operating Shanghai-Delhi and Kunming-Kolkata routes. China Southern Airlines holds a 22.9% share, flying directly from Guangzhou to Delhi. Air China's share of China-India flights is 12.4%, mainly operating Beijing-Delhi and Beijing-Mumbai routes. Shandong Airlines holds a 6.4% share, flying directly from Kunming to Delhi.

Two Indian airlines operate China-India flights. IndiGo holds a 20.8% share, mainly operating Chengdu-Delhi and Guangzhou-Kolkata routes. Air India holds an 8.2% share, flying directly from Shanghai to Delhi.

Prior to the resumption of direct flights, the visa policies between China and India had already been optimized. In July this year, India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens after years of restrictions. In August, the foreign ministers of the two countries reached a consensus in New Delhi to promote bilateral trade and investment.

The resumption of direct flights between China and India may also reshape the Asian aviation market landscape. Previously, many Indian travelers transited through Hong Kong (China) or Singapore to reach Europe and America, while Chinese travelers to and from India mainly relied on transit hubs like Hong Kong (China) and Thailand. When the reporter traveled to India in June this year, they flew with Cathay Pacific, and the flight had a very high load factor. The launch of direct China-India flights is expected to attract a significant number of Indian passengers to use the Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou hubs for travel to Europe and America.