China-India direct flights boost festive cheer and economic prospects

Editor's note: Ankit Prasad is a CGTN biz commentator. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The Mid-Autumn Festival and Navratri celebrations this year have yielded a bumper gift for China-India people-to-people exchanges, with direct flights between the two countries set to resume by end of this month. The eagerly-anticipated development marks the fruition of months-long efforts by both sides, including high-level government meetings as well as technical-level discussions between civil aviation authorities.

In a statement on Thursday evening, India's Ministry of External Affairs stated the agreement between the two sides will further facilitate people-to-people contact. Near simultaneously, India's largest airline IndiGo issued a detailed press release notifying a daily flight from Kolkata to Guangzhou starting October 26, with tickets to go on sale on October 3. A Delhi-Guangzhou service will be introduced shortly, with Airbus A320neo aircraft to ply both routes.

IndiGo's statement hailed the "revival of aviation ties between the world's second and fourth largest economies," adding that the flights will re-establish avenues for cross-border trade and strategic business partnerships, and promote tourism between the two nations. Its CEO Pieter Elbers added that the airline is looking at introducing more direct flights into China. Air India, the country's now-privatized former flag carrier, is also likely to resume direct flights to China by year-end starting with the Delhi-Shanghai route, as per reports.

Jayanta Nandi, a Beijing-based Indian tech entrepreneur, said it was a much-awaited development that will strengthen connectivity and boost collaboration between the two countries. It carries great personal meaning for him as well: "My parents have been eagerly awaiting this service to come to China again." Amit Tiwari, an Indian pharmaceuticals executive working in China, said, "Having direct flights would significantly enhance our travel experience, particularly while traveling with young children. A journey of 14 hours could be reduced to just 5 hours, which would alleviate some of the stresses associated with long travel times."

Due to the non-availability of direct flights in the last few years, Chinese and Indians traveling to and fro had little option but to rely on roundabout routes that would often be laborious, time-consuming and expensive. Natasha Patidar, a media professional living in Beijing, explains, "traveling to China often means transiting through hubs like Hong Kong, Hanoi or Almaty, which adds time and complexity, even if the aerial views of Hong Kong and Vietnamese coffee are spectacular."

In addition to the enhanced convenience and cost-savings, direct flights are likely to foster more trade and investment. The Indian embassy in China records bilateral trade having risen 7.86 percent to $127.71 billion in 2024-25. It also notes the potential for increased bilateral investment — cumulative Chinese investment to India from 2015 to 2023 stood at $3.2 billion while India's FDI into China from 2000 to 2025 is $2.5 billion. Over the past year, both sides have made efforts to readjust their bilateral relations and prepare for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

A series of meetings in August and September — Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi's visit to New Delhi, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit — have enabled key agreements on trade among much else. India is looking to import rare earth metals and critical minerals, fertilizers, and tunnel boring machines from China, while also easing the visa process for Chinese business professionals. Similarly, China's newly introduced K visa has been cited as a great opportunity for India's STEM professionals, a talent pool that grows by an estimated two million graduates annually.  

From both people-to-people and country-to-country perspectives, the resumption of direct flights is a crucial and concrete forward step between the world's two most populous nations. There is also a growing acknowledgement in political and economic circles that the two ancient civilizations share vast complementarities and represent two of the biggest and most vibrant markets in the world. In early September, the SCO Summit had served as a watershed moment for Indians watching at home, as traveling media personnel beamed back glimpses of China, while the Indian community got its moment in the spotlight a few years later. Now, with direct flights, there is the prospect of more such friendly exchanges.