Direct flights between India and China are set to resume for the first time since 2020, in a development expected to revive tourism, trade and business travel between the two countries.
Services were suspended at the onset of the pandemic and never restarted, even after both governments lifted Covid-19 restrictions. Relations between the two countries further deteriorated in June 2020, following the deadly Galwan Valley border clash.
Recent signs point to a thaw, the South China Morning Post reports. Last month, India resumed issuing visas to Chinese citizens, while Beijing reopened access for Indian pilgrims to undertake the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra – a sacred journey in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
According to Indian media, flight services to China could restart within a month. An announcement is expected during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tianjin this Sunday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, the Post says.
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Both governments are expected to update their air services agreement to formalise the resumption. Industry executives believe flights previously operated by Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air India and SpiceJet are likely to return, with the possibility of new routes being added gradually.
Analysts say the restart could mark the beginning of stronger cooperation. “The resumption of direct flights between India and China is expected to significantly boost tourism potential between the two countries,” said Jyoti Mayal, chairwoman of the Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council in India. She told the Post that reduced travel time and costs would encourage greater flows of both tourists and business travellers.
Trade and regional economic integration could also benefit, she added.
Gary Bowerman, director of consultancy High-Yield Tourism, said initial demand was likely to come from business and government travel, but added that leisure tourism could develop as routes expand. He noted growing Chinese interest in India’s cultural heritage, particularly in Kolkata, home to the country’s only Chinatown.
