Direct air connectivity between India and China has received a major boost with Air China resuming its service between Beijing and Delhi, according to a news report by Chinese newspaper Global Times.
The airline was scheduled to resume its direct route between Beijing and Delhi from Tuesday, marking the second route to India that Chinese airlines have resumed this month.
The Global Times reported that the service will operate three times a week (Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays), using an Airbus 330. Economy class fares are expected to start at 3,570 yuan (US$523), with departure scheduled for 3:15pm and arrival in Delhi at 8:20pm (local time).
Other flights between India and China
This development comes days after the recent resumption of flights by China Eastern Airlines, which resumed its direct service between Kunming and Kolkata on April 18.
“This was the carrier’s latest expansion of its route network between China and India after the resumption of the Shanghai-Delhi route in November 2025,” the news report noted.
China Eastern Airlines added that the Kunming-Kolkata route, which operates six weekly round-trip flights with Boeing 737 aircraft, is expected to enhance travel convenience and cooperation between the two countries.
On March 30, IndiGo began its inaugural daily non-stop service between Kolkata and Shanghai, marking another milestone in enhancing air connectivity between India and China which has been stalled since the 2020 Galwan clash and the Covid pandemic.
Previously, IndiGo had announced the launch of its daily direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou, China, from November 10, 2025. The route is operated using IndiGo’s Airbus A320 aircraft.
The announcement came after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the resumption of direct flights between India and China.
In March, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that relations between India and China were on the “right path” to improve, and that their common interests far outweighed their differences.
Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-India relations have embarked on the right path of improvement and development, Wang, who is also a member of the Politburo of the ruling Communist Party of China, was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.
During a farewell call to outgoing Indian Ambassador Pradeep Rawat, he said that in the face of a complex and turbulent international situation, China is ready to work with India to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the principle of considering each other as opportunities for development rather than as a threat, and treat each other as partners and not as competitors.
