Beijing-Delhi direct flights resume as India, China reset ties, aim at expanding air connectivity
The service will operate three times a week — on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays — using an Airbus A330 aircraft.
PTC News Desk: India and China are all set to expand air connectivity with resumption of direct flights between Delhi and Beijing from Tuesday, marking the second route to India to be restored this month.
The service will operate three times a week — on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays — using an Airbus A330 aircraft. Economy class fares are expected to start from 3,570 yuan (approximately USD 523), with departure scheduled at 3:15 pm from Beijing and arrival in Delhi at 8:20 pm local time.
Flight connections between India and China are slowly returning to normal. China Eastern Airlines restarted its direct Kunming–Kolkata flights on April 18, operating six return flights a week using Boeing 737 aircraft. The airline said this will make travel easier and improve people-to-people ties. Earlier, it had also resumed the Shanghai–Delhi route in November 2025.
On the Indian side, IndiGo has expanded its services to China. It started a daily non-stop flight between Kolkata and Shanghai on March 30, along with earlier resumed flights to Guangzhou and new routes from Delhi. The airline is using A320neo aircraft for these services.
These steps come after India and China agreed last year to restart direct flights, which had been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic and tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Flights had remained suspended for more than four years after the pandemic and the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Although some services restarted in October 2025, full flight operations are still being restored gradually.
The increase in flights shows that both New Delhi and Beijing are trying to improve relations, with aviation becoming an important sign of slowly rebuilding ties.