[NEW DELHI] India and China are set to resume direct flight connections as soon as next month, people familiar with the negotiations said, as the world’s two most populous countries seek to reset their political ties.
Airlines in India have been asked by the government to prepare flights to China at short notice, with a possible official announcement as soon as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at the end of August in China, said the people, asking not to be identified because the negotiations are ongoing.
Passenger flights between India to China were suspended after the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing travellers from the two neighbouring countries to pass through hubs like through Hong Kong or Singapore.
The renewed push to rebuild a direct link comes at a time when India’s relations with the US have come under considerable strain, after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil. On Monday, Air India announced it would suspend its direct link to Washington, DC, next month, though it cited “operational factors” as the reason.
Diplomatic ties between the two Asian heavyweights hit a low point in 2020, when border clashes left 20 Indian fighters and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers dead. India recently allowed tourist visas for Chinese nationals after years of curbs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the SCO summit in Tianjin starting Aug 31, where he may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
India’s aviation ministry, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the country’s press information bureau did not respond to requests for comment. The exact timing of any flight resumption remains fluid, and talks might still hit a snag, the people cautioned.
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Before the suspension, Indian carriers including Air India and IndiGo, as well as Chinese airlines such as Air China, China Southern and China Eastern ran services between key cities of the two countries. A resumption is likely to see both Air India and IndiGo restarting flights to China, the people said.
Air India and IndiGo did not respond to emails seeking comment.
India and China had first agreed in January to resume direct flights, before relations between the two countries cooled again amid India’s limited war with Pakistan. The two countries then announced a takeup of direct connections once more in June, though without any visible progress.
Plans to rebuild direct links only gained pace in the past two weeks, and the airlines involved have also been informed about the proposal, the people said. BLOOMBERG
