‘Consensus Reached’: Direct Flights Between India And China Would Resume Soon, Says MEA

Last Updated:August 31, 2025, 21:59 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced direct flights between India and China will resume soon after talks with President Xi Jinping in Tianjin.

PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping (File Image: X/@narendramodi)

The direct flights between India and China, which were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be resumed soon. The decision was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he held bilateral-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit (SCO) in Tianjin.

“Direct flights between the two countries are also being resumed. The interests of 2.8 billion people of both countries are linked to our cooperation. This will also pave the way for the welfare of the entire humanity. We are committed to taking our relations forward on the basis of mutual trust, respect and sensitivity,” he said.

While detailing the significant development in a press conference in Tiajin, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the two sides have been intensely engaged in discussions over the past few weeks and months after they agreed to work on this issue earlier this year.

“This is something on which the two sides have been engaged quite intensely in recent weeks and months, following the direction and the understanding between the two sides at a higher level earlier this year, that this is one of the areas in which we should move forward,” he said.

Misri further emphasised that several technical-level talks have been held, and a civil aviation delegation from India visited Beijing earlier this week for further discussions.

“My understanding is that at a broad level, an agreement or a consensus has been reached on restarting direct flights. And this is something that you heard the Prime Minister refer to in his comments this morning,” he added.

The Foreign Secretary, however, highlighted that there are certain operational issues in the process, and the two sides are in contact with each other.

“There are issues related to the air services agreement, issues related to scheduling, calendar, etcetera. My understanding is that these will be addressed in the coming few weeks, and we should see a resumption of direct flights soon,” he added.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and tourist visas during their meeting. India and China had resumed the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet earlier this year. Last month, India began issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens. Both were suspended during the 2020 pandemic.

PM Modi and President Xi held wide-ranging talks to reset the bilateral relations between India and China, which have been on the mend over the past two years since a major rift following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes.

When Were Direct Flights Stopped?

Since early 2020, direct commercial flights between the world’s major economies have been halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, travellers were required to connect through regional hubs such as Hong Kong, Singapore, or Bangkok, which adds to both travel time and expenses.

The decision to restart direct flights between India and China occurs as tentative signs of improvement emerge in the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Beijing.

About the Author

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More

Location :

China

Read More

Go to Source