China on Monday extended a warm welcome to passengers arriving on an IndiGo Airlines flight from Kolkata, marking the resumption of direct air connectivity between the two countries after more than five years.
The IndiGo flight 6E1703 landed safely in Guangzhou on Monday morning, making it the first direct flight between India and China since the suspension of services in 2019. “On the morning of October 27, IndiGo Airlines flight 6E1703 arrived at Guangzhou, China safe and sound. Warm welcome to China,” Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India, posted on X.
The flight, which took off from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport late Sunday, signals a major step toward restoring regular air travel between the two nations. The Chinese Embassy confirmed that direct flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou have now officially resumed.
“Direct flights between China and India are now a reality. Kolkata–Guangzhou launches today. Shanghai–New Delhi starts Nov 9, flying three times a week,” Yu Jing announced on social media.
The decision to resume direct services was taken earlier this year following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The leaders agreed to facilitate improved connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, paving the way for airlines to restore suspended routes.
Private carrier IndiGo announced it would operate daily, non-stop flights connecting Kolkata and Guangzhou starting October 26. The airline also plans to launch new direct flights between New Delhi and Guangzhou from November 10, using Airbus A320 aircraft for both routes.
Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines has also declared the resumption of its India route. Direct flights between Shanghai and Delhi will begin on November 9, operating three times a week, on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The new schedule aims to boost travel, tourism, and business engagement between the two Asian economies.
Earlier on October 24, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the resumption of flights was part of efforts to implement the consensus reached during the Modi–Xi meeting in Tianjin. He described the move as an important step toward promoting friendly exchanges between the peoples of both countries.
“The resumption of direct flights between mainland China and India is the latest progress in earnestly implementing the important consensus reached by the two leaders during their Tianjin meeting,” Guo said during a regular media briefing. “It is also a positive measure to facilitate friendly exchanges between the more than 2.8 billion people of China and India.”
Guo added that China remains committed to working with India to manage bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, promoting their stable development and contributing to peace and prosperity in Asia and beyond.
