MAJOR boost for India-China relations as Shanghai-Delhi direct flights to resume from…; check complete details inside

China Eastern Airlines has announced the resumption of Shanghai-Delhi flights, marking a significant upswing in India-China relations.

Shanghai-Delhi flights: In a major boost for India-China relations, direct flights between Shanghai and New Delhi are set to resume after a five-year suspension. As per Beijing’s state-owned China Eastern Airlines, it will resume Shanghai-Delhi direct flights from November 9, 2025, weeks after India’s private airline carrier, IndiGo, announced the resumption of direct flights between the two neighboring countries.

When will Shanghai-Delhi flights resume?

According to geopolitical experts, the reopening of direct air travel between India and China marks a significant upswing in the diplomatic ties between the two countries, which have thawed due to the punitive trade and tariff policies imposed by US President Donald Trump.

On Saturday, China Eastern Airlines announced on its online ticketing platform that Shanghai-Delhi will resume on November 9, and operate thrice a week on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Why India-China flights resumed?

The development comes after India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced earlier this month that direct commercial flights between the two neighboring countries would resume after a five-year suspension. MEA’s announcement came following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in over seven years for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where he also held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Following the announcement, IndiGo, India’s largest airline, announced the launch of daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou.

IndiGo’s announcement was welcomed by China’s state-owned Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, as it urged other carriers to open more direct routes between Guangzhou and Delhi.

Direct India-China flights after five years

Notably, direct flights between India and China were suspended in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak. Relations between the two countries deteriorated further with Galwan Valley clash in the same year, which triggered a military standoff, following which air travel remained suspended.

However, India-China relations have witnessed a thaw in recent months in wake of Trump’s aggressive trade policies targeting the two countries. The US President has imposed a punitive 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, and urged the European Union to impose 100 percent tariffs on China and India, claiming it would put pressure on Moscow to end Russia-Ukraine war.