Beijing-Delhi flights resume as China, India expand air connectivity amid growing ties

Direct air connectivity between India and China is set to improve further as Air China restarted its Beijing-Delhi service from Tuesday, the second route to India to be restored by the Chinese carrier this month. The service will operate three times a week – on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays – using Airbus A330 aircraft. Economy class fares are expected to start from 3,570 yuan (about US$523), with departure from Beijing at 3:15 pm and arrival in Delhi at 8:20 pm local time.

Second route restarted this month

The move follows the recent resumption of flights by China Eastern Airlines, which had resumed its direct service between Kunming and Kolkata on April 18. The Kunming–Kolkata route operates six weekly round-trip flights using Boeing 737 aircraft. China Eastern Airlines had earlier restarted the Shanghai-Delhi route in November 2025.Indian airline IndiGo is also expanding its presence in China. On March 30, IndiGo launched its daily non-stop service between Kolkata and Shanghai using its A320neo aircraft. Earlier, IndiGo had resumed flights on the Kolkata-Guangzhou route and launched the Delhi-Guangzhou route on November 10, 2025. According to operational data for April, IndiGo maintained passenger load factor between 68 per cent and 85 per cent on several China-India routes, with popular routes such as Delhi-Guangzhou and Kolkata-Guangzhou showing particularly strong performance.

sweetness in relationships

Air connectivity has expanded amid signs of warming relations between India and China. Last month, India approved easing of restrictions on Chinese investment in selected sectors including electronics, capital goods and solar cells, marking a resumption of economic ties after six years of friction.Earlier in March, the Union Cabinet had approved changes to the FDI policy guidelines on investment from countries sharing land borders with India, including China, providing a fixed timeline for approval in critical sectors.

expert opinion

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that more airlines from both sides increasing their services has positive significance for further strengthening the momentum of bilateral relations.“This trend not only facilitates personnel exchange between the two countries, but also represents more practical measures to reduce supply chain costs and support travel for technology companies and the manufacturing sector,” Qian said.