Air China direct flights from Beijing to Delhi resume, tourism and trade will get a boost…

The Chinese Embassy in India on Saturday confirmed that Air China has resumed direct flight services between Beijing and Delhi. The Chinese Embassy described it as an important step in more than just connectivity between the two countries and considered it an important initiative towards strengthening trade, tourism and bilateral relations.

Responding to the development, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing made a post on social media platform X, saying the move will give a new dimension to cooperation between the two countries. He wrote, “Air China’s resumption of direct flights between Beijing and Delhi is more than just travel! It is a big green signal for trade, tourism, trust and people-to-people cooperation under SCO and BRICS!”

Direct flights between Beijing and Delhi resumed in October last year after four years, marking an important step towards restoring normalcy in relations between the two countries. Flights between the two countries were suspended following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020. Due to this conflict, diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries became tense. However, in October 2024, both the countries agreed to an agreement on patrolling on the LAC (Line of Actual Control), which was considered an important step towards reducing tensions.

The resumption of direct flights was also confirmed by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as early as October 2025. The first flight departed from Kolkata to Guangzhou on 26 October 2025, while three flights per week began operating on the Shanghai-New Delhi route from 9 November.

IndiGo airline had also announced that it would be one of the first airlines to resume services between the two countries after the COVID-19 suspension. In a press release on October 2, IndiGo had said it will operate nonstop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou using Airbus A320neo aircraft from October 26, 2025.