BEIJING, China: China Eastern Airlines will resume direct flights between Shanghai and Delhi from November 9, marking the first regular passenger service between China and India in five years as the two Asian giants move to restore air links amid a tentative diplomatic thaw.
The Chinese state-backed carrier's website showed that the flights will operate three times a week, on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with tickets already available for sale. The airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
India's Foreign Ministry said earlier this month that commercial flights between the two countries would restart after a prolonged freeze that began in 2020. Border clashes in the Himalayas brought relations to their lowest point in decades.
The resumption follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to China in more than seven years, where he attended a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and held discussions with Chinese officials on improving trade ties. Modi also raised concerns over India's widening trade deficit with China, which remains a key source of tension between the neighbors.
Diplomatic observers view the resumption of direct flights as a symbolic step toward stabilizing bilateral ties after years of military standoff and economic friction.
China's Foreign Ministry has not commented publicly on the airline's announcement, and India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on Saturday.
Earlier this month, India's largest carrier, IndiGo, announced plans to launch daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou, expanding its footprint in the Chinese market.
At the time, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, a state-backed Chinese aviation hub, said it would encourage more direct routes between the two countries, including potential Guangzhou-Delhi services to boost tourism and business travel.
Direct air connectivity between China and India was suspended in 2020 following the deadly border clash in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, which left soldiers on both sides dead and led to a sharp downturn in diplomatic relations.
Before the freeze, more than 40 flights a week operated between major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, and Mumbai, carrying business travelers, tourists, and students between the world's two most populous nations.
